Optimizing Composition and Rigidity of Unidirectional Laminates for Total Hip Prosthesis Applications

Abstract:

Unidirectional composite structures are increasingly utilized in structural design due to their excellent compressive strength. The present study provides an evaluation of the fatigue performance of materials commonly used in hip prostheses such as Ti-6Al-4V, Co-Cr alloys, UHMWPE, and a silicon matrix composite reinforced with unidirectional carbon fibers in three different fiber volume fractions. Using Bergmann's loading factors, stress calculations were conducted for an 80 kg individual. The Goodman criterion and S-N curves were applied to assess fatigue life. Results show the unidirectional composite with 70% fiber volume fraction has the highest fatigue resistance, making it most suitable for high-stress applications. In contrast, Ti-6Al-4V and Co-Cr alloys showed moderate performance, while UHMWPE was found to be suitable for low-stress applications. These results underscore the necessity of selecting the ideal composition to maximize durability and fatigue resistance in essential mechanical applications. This finding suggests a promising alternative for improving the design and performance of femoral neck implants. This suggests a promising alternative for improving the design and performance of femoral neck implants.

• Periodical: Journal of Biomimetics, Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering (Volume 69)
• Pages: 63-74
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/p-l1ELaG
• Online since: October 2025
• Authors: Raouia Zekkour*, Khalid Faiza, Rabah Manaa
• Keywords: Fatigue Life, High-Strength, Prosthesis Stem, Silicon, Unidirectional Composite Laminate

References

[1] C. Gutmann, N. Shaikh, B.S. Shenoy, N.S. Bhat, L.G. Keni, C. KN, Wear estimation of hip implants with varying chamfer geometry at the trunnion junction: A finite element analysis, Biomed. Phys. Eng. Express 9 (3) (2023) 035004.

DOI: 10.1088/2057-1976/acb710

[2] O. Bliss, J.G. Swadener, G. Pierce, I. Zidane, Finite element analysis of a stemmed hip prosthesis to reduce stress shielding in the proximal femur, J. Mech. Eng. Sci. (2023) 9349–9359

DOI: 10.15282/jmes.17.1.2023.5.0739

[3] M.M. Bouziane, A. Moulgada, N. Djebbara, A. Sahli, B.A. Bachir Bouiadjra, S. Benbarek, Effect of the residual stresses at the stem–cement interface on the mechanical behaviour of cemented hip femoral prosthesis, J. Eng. Res. Appl. 17 (2015) 54–63

DOI: 10.4028/www.scientific.net/jera.17.54

[4] H.B. Jiang, Static and dynamic mechanics analysis on artificial hip joints with different interface designs by the finite element method, J. Bionic Eng. 4 (2007) 123–131

DOI: 10.1016/s1672-6529(07)60024-9

[5] M. Ehsan, Finite element analysis of hip joint prosthesis with varying design configurations, J. Eng. Res. Appl. 10 (2020) 1–8.

[6] C. Desai, H. Hirani, A. Chawla, Life estimation of hip joint prosthesis, J. Inst. Eng. (India): Ser. C 95 (2014) 1–7

DOI: 10.1007/s40032-014-0159-4

[7] M. Kalayarasan, L. Prakash, Material selection of acetabular component in human hip prosthesis using finite element concepts, Int. J. Exp. Comput. Biomech. 2 (2013) 2

DOI: 10.1504/ijecb.2013.056519

[8] K. Nitish Prasad, P. Ramkumar, Effect of geometrical, operational and material parameters in the lubrication regime of hard-on-hard hip implants, Mater. Chem. Phys. 317 (2024) 129171

DOI: 10.1016/j.matchemphys.2024.129171

[9] K. Chergui, H. Ameddah, H. Mazouz, Biomechanical analysis of fatigue behavior of a fully composite-based designed hip resurfacing prosthesis, J. Serbian Soc. Comput. Mech. 12 (2018) 80–94

DOI: 10.24874/jsscm.2018.12.02.06

[10] O. Kayabasi, F. Erzincanli, Finite element modelling and analysis of a new cemented hip prosthesis, Adv. Eng. Softw. 37 (2006) 477–483

DOI: 10.1016/j.advengsoft.2005.07.004

[11] N. Dhandapani, A. Gnanavelbabu, M. Sivasankar, Failure analysis of cementless hip joint prosthesis, Adv. Mater. Res. 845 (2013) 403–407. https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/ AMR.845.403

DOI: 10.4028/www.scientific.net/amr.845.403

[12] J.V. Corda, K.N. Chethan, S. Shenoy, S. Shetty, M. Zuber, Fatigue life evaluation of different hip implant designs using finite element analysis, J. Appl. Eng. Sci. 21 (3) (2023) 896–907.

DOI: 10.5937/jaes0-44094

[13] A.K. González, J. Rodríguez-Reséndiz, J.E.E. Gonzalez-Durán, J.M. Olivares Ramírez, A.A. Estévez-Bén, Development of a hip joint socket by finite-element-based analysis for mechanical assessment, Bioengineering 10 (2) (2023) 268

DOI: 10.3390/bioengineering10020268

[14] J.M. Reginald, M. Kalayarasan, K.N. Chethan, P. Dhanabal, Static, dynamic, and fatigue life investigation of a hip prosthesis for walking gait using finite element analysis, Int. J. Model. Simul. 43 (2023) 797–811

DOI: 10.1080/02286203.2023.2212346

[15] D. Bennett, T. Goswami, Finite element analysis of hip stem designs, Mater. Des. 29 (2008) 45–60

DOI: 10.1016/j.matdes.2007.01.004

[16] V. Jangid, A.K. Singh, A. Mishra, Wear simulation of artificial hip joints: Effect of materials, Mater. Today: Proc. 18 (2019) 3867–3875

DOI: 10.1016/j.matpr.2019.07.029

[17] A.R.P. Ikhsan, J.M. Sohn, J. Triyono, Finite element analysis of different artificial hip stem designs based on fenestration under static loading, Procedia Struct. Integr. 27 (2020) 101–108

DOI: 10.1016/j.prostr.2020.02.014

[18] X. Zhang, Y. Zhang, X. Liang, Q. Zhao, Design of a novel femoral stem for a total hip prosthesis based on topology optimization, Comput. Biol. Med. 135 (2021) 104594

DOI: 10.1016/j.compbiomed.2021.104594

[19] K.N. Chethan, N.S. Bhat, M. Zuber, B.S. Shenoy, Finite element analysis of hip implant with varying taper neck lengths under static loading conditions, Comput. Methods Programs Biomed. 208 (2021) 106273

DOI: 10.1016/j.cmpb.2021.106273

[20] G. Bergmann, G. Deuretzbacher, M. Heller, F. Graichen, A. Rohlmann, J. Strauss, G.N. Dud, Hip joint contact forces and gait: Measurement and analysis, J. Biomech. 34 (2001) 859–871

DOI: 10.1016/s0021-9290(01)00040-9

[21] D. Gay, Composite Materials: Design and Applications, fourth ed., CRC Press, New York, 2022.