[Mechanical properties of carbon as implant material in orthopedic surgery (author's transl)]

Among others material problems are come to the fore in endoprothetic with growing biochemical knowledge, also because of the realisation that in different parts of the same prothesis functionally different mechanical demands must be set. Technological progress in carbon production has lead to the development of a spectrum of different carbon specialities with various mechanical properties. In orthopaedic surgery of endoprothetic high strengh isotropic carbon, impregnated carbon and fibrereinforced carbon-carbon-composites are of particular interest, because of their physical properties and unchanged favourable chemical and biological properties of carbon. Thereby it is on one side a question of carbon material with extraordinary tribological qualities, on the other side of carbons with nearly isoelastic behaviour towards the bone, respectively with equal quotient of breaking strength and young's modulus. Therefore in future the manufacture of components with functional approbiate material using the same basic material carbon seems to be possible for the production of endoprothesis with different working parts.