Optimal Material Selection for Total Hip Implant: A Finite Element Case Study

The selection of most proper materials in engineering design is known as an important stage of the design process. In order to successfully complete this stage, it is necessary to have sufficient knowledge about the structure of materials, density, melting point, thermal expansion coefficient, tensile and yield strength, elongation, modulus of elasticity, hardness and many other properties. There are several selection systems that help the design engineer to choose most suitable material that meet the required properties. In the field of bioengineering, the selection of materials and the development of new materials for the clinical needs are increasingly important. In this study, the cases of optimal implant stabilization were investigated, material alternatives for hip prosthesis were evaluated, and optimal materials were determined. Using computerized tomography data with MIMICS software, virtual surgery was applied the hip bone and the implant was attached to bone. Boundary conditions and material properties have been defined, and finite element model has been created. FEA investigation of the mechanical behavior of the hip implant for various material alternatives determined by the CES software showed that the best material candidate is austenitic, annealed and biodurable stainless steel in terms of the micromotions at the implant–bone cement interface regarding osseointegration. This candidate showed 20.69% less strain value than the most commercially used hip implant material, Ti6Al4V. Therefore, the findings of this study suggest that the use of some specific stainless steel materials for implants may reduce the operation cost and increase the operation success for the total hip arthroplasty.