The effect of elastic modulus of the backing material on the fatigue notch factor and stress

Abstract

In cemented acetabular cup design it is acknowledged that bone resorption and fatigue fracture of cement may cause the most common problems after total hip replacement. Previous studies have optimized the shape of metal backing (MB) shell used in cemented acetabular components in order to minimize the fatigue notch factor (K_f) in cement, whilst at the same time maximizing K_f in bone at the central part of acetabulum to prevent stress shielding and subsequent bone resorption [1]. The optimal shape was found to be thin at the edges and thick at the dome.

The present study describes the effect of changing the elastic modulus of the backing material on K_f and stresses as predicted by the initial shape of the backing shell of (3 mm) thick, and the optimized backing shape of non‐uniform thickness in order to find the optimal material for the backing shell. It is recommended to use a backing shell material with elastic modulus equals 70 GPa (which can be readily attained using a fiber reinforced polymer composite). It is shown that such a material will decrease the fatigue notch factor and the stresses in cement at cup edges, at the same time it will increase the stresses and the fatigue notch factor in bone at the central part of acetabulum. Thereby, reducing the possibility of fatigue fracture of cement, whilst at the same time decreasing the stress shielding effect and the resulting bone resorption. The effect of lower bone resorption and lower probability of fatigue fracture of the cement will also reduce the incidence of loosening and premature revision operations.