MEDDOUR BELKACEM, BREK SAMIR, SAOUDI ABDELHAK, BAKHOUCHE HIBAT ERRAHMANE

Abstract

The choice of material for an implant is considered one of the best for successful arthroplasty. The prosthesis implants for knee joints are usually made of metallic biocompatible materials and polymers. However, this work proposes the replacement of stainless steel with zirconia. Zirconia is known for its weak cracking strength; therefore, this paper aims to predict the cracking of the femoral implant made of zirconia. To do so, a pre-crack was created while performing a numerical simulation to determine the stress intensity factor. This procedure is repeated for the incremented length of the pre-crack until the stress intensity factor reaches the fracture toughness value. To extend the investigation, three areas of the femoral implant where the stress concentration could be expected were considered. In all cases, the simulation results showed good zirconia behavior against cracking, and no crack propagation was expected.