Numerical simulation of titanium alloy hip replacement implants behaviour under static and dynamic loads

Abstract

This paper presents development of numerical models for simulation of the behaviour of titanium alloy hip implants under static and dynamic loads, which is a part of extensive research involving the structural integrity of such implants under various loading conditions, as well as under exposure to aggressive environments. Numerical models were created in ABAQUS and ANSYS software packages, in order to determine the stress/strain distribution, the number of cycles to failure and stress intensity factors, for two different hip implant geometries. The ABAQUS models were used for static and ANSYS models for dynamic loads. The next stage in this analysis involved comparing these two cases, to determine the one with the better behaviour, depending on the exploitation conditions, which can greatly vary between different groups of patients. The targeted patient weight for all numerical simulations was 90 kg, while failure assessment diagrams were made for both implant geometries, assuming a crack length of 1 mm.

Keywords

• hip implants
• ti-6al-4v
• finite element method
• fatigue crack
• failure assessment diagram