ASM Failure Analysis Case Histories: Medical and Biomedical Devices
Fatigue Failures of Austenitic Stainless Steel Orthopedic Fixation Devices
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Published:2019
Abstract
Failures of four different 300-series austenitic stainless steel biomedical fixation implants were examined. The device fractures were observed optically, and their surfaces were examined by scanning electron microscopy. Fractography identified fatigue to be the failure mode for all four of the implants. In every instance, the fatigue cracks initiated from the attachment screw holes at the reduced cross sections of the implants. Two fixation implant designs were analyzed using finite-element modeling. This analysis confirmed the presence of severe stress concentrations adjacent to the attachment screw holes, the fatigue crack initiation sites. Conclusions were reached regarding the design of these...
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Member Sign InM.E. Stevenson, M.E. Barkey, R.C. Bradt, Fatigue Failures of Austenitic Stainless Steel Orthopedic Fixation Devices, ASM Failure Analysis Case Histories: Medical and Biomedical Devices, ASM International, 2019, https://doi.org/10.31399/asm.fach.med.c9001606
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