Fatigue properties of implant materials in hip prosthesis form: a standardized test

The determination of the fatigue properties on small specimens is not accurate. It does not take into account the considerable scatter in fatigue properties which may arise in the implants. Therefore, testing of the properties on the actual implant is needed. The working hypothesis of the present article is that four-point bending fatigue tests allow determination of the fatigue limit of the femoral component material in total hip prostheses. It eliminates the disadvantages of the previously proposed load on head test because (1) the reproducibility of the stress pattern is easy; (2) the fatigue testing is over the whole critical part of the stem; and (3) the stresses do not change during the test. Testing of a series of hip prostheses shows that (1) the measured fatigue limit is typical for the material tested; (2) the location of the fatigue fractures is over the critical medial third of the stem; and (3) the fractographic aspects correspond to those of in vivo failed prostheses. The four-point bending procedure is proposed as a standard method.