[Effect of bending on shot peened and polished osteosynthesis plates]

Shot peening can increase the fatigue strength of commercially available surgical plates made of 1.4435 alloy by 40% even in a corrosive environment. Our investigations show that residual stresses resulting from shot peening are reduced by additional bending of the plates. In such plates smaller tensile residual stresses were found than after polishing of the plates. Bending of polished plates results in considerable tensile residual stresses. The hardening achieved by shot peening is not reduced by bending. As the fatigue strength of soft materials depends mainly on the hardening and less on the residual stresses, only little influence of the changed residual stresses on the fatigue strength can be expected. Shot peening of surgical implants thus means an improvement in quality.