Numerical analysis of the crack growth path in the cement mantle of the reconstructed acetabulum

Effects of interfacial crack and implant material on mixed-mode stress intensity factor and prediction of interface failure of cemented acetabular cup

This study deals with the effects of interfacial crack and implant material on mixed-mode stress intensity factor and prediction of interface failure of the cemented acetabular cup. A three dimensional (3D) finite element (FE) model of implanted pelvic bone was developed based on the computed tomography (CT) scan data. Combinations of four materials were considered for implant material. To understand the influence of interfacial crack at bone-cement and cement-implant interfaces on failure, 2D cracked models were developed based on the FE model and solved using the element-free Galerkin method (EFGM) by considering a rectangular section in the superior, inferior, anterior, and posterior locations. Interface failure was predicted in terms of mixed-mode stress intensity factor (SIF). The stress values obtained from FE analysis were transferred at the cut boundary of the rectangular section and considered as a mixed-mode loading condition to determine the SIF in the superior, inferior, anterior, and posterior locations at bone-cement and cement-implant interfaces using EFGM. Location wise, anterior seems to have more chances of failure because SIF in the anterior location was found to be higher than other locations. The bone-cement interface has more SIF and indicated more chances of failure than the cement-implant interface. Less SIF was found for the ceramic-ceramic material combination than other material combinations.