Issue 61

S. Zengah et al., Frattura ed Integrità Strutturale, 61 (2022) 266-281; DOI: 10.3221/IGF-ESIS.61.18

Numerical analysis of the crack growth path in the cement of hip spacers

Sahnoun Zengah Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Mustafa Stambouli, Mascara, Algeria LPQ3M Laboratory, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Mustafa Stambouli, Mascara, 2900, Algeria s.zengah@univ-mascara.dz, Abdeljelil Mankour, Sahli Abderahmane, Hichem Salah, Abdelhafid Mallek, LMPM, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of SidiBel Abbes, 22000, Algeria ASAL, Centre de Développement des Satellites (CDS), Bir El Djir Oran 31130, Algeria bm_abdeldjalil@yahoo.fr, csahliabderahmen@yahoo.fr, dsalah.hichem46@gmail.com, hafid_22@yahoo.fr, Mohammed Mokhtar Bouziane Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Mustafa Stambouli, Mascara, Algeria LMPM, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of SidiBel Abbes, 22000, Algeria m.bouziane@univ-mascara.dz

A BSTRACT . The use of temporary hip prosthesis made of orthopedic cement (spacer) in conjunction with antibiotics became a prevalent method used for prosthetic infections remedy; consequently, this method makes bone cement (PMMA) more fragile. Hence, the necessity of reinforcement incorporation is crucial to strengthen the bone cement. In this study, the finite element (FE) method was used to analyze the spacers behavior. FE model using an implicit integration method was used to simulate the mechanical behavior of the spacer under static loading. In addition, the extended finite element method (XFEM) was also used to investigate the fracture behavior of the non reinforced and reinforced spacers. The results of this numerical analysis showed that the simulated crack initiation and propagation were in a good accordance with in vivo radiography and in vitro experimental observations. The full-stem reinforcement of 8 mm using reduce significantly the stress intensity factor and, consequently prevent the spacer fracture effectively. The FE models developed in this study contribute to help mechanical designers and engineers for prostheses’ quality and durability improvement. K EYWORDS . Biomechanics; Hip Spacer; Bone Cement; Fracture; XFEM.

Citation: Zengah, S,. Mankour, A,. Sahli, A,. Salah, H,. Mallek, A.,. Bouziane, M.M., Numerical Analysis of the Crack Growth Path in the Cement of Hip Spacers, Frattura ed Integrità Strutturale, 61 (2022) 266-281.

Received: 31.03.2022 Accepted: 24.05.2022 Online first: 31.05.2022 Published: 01.07.2022

Copyright: © 2022 This is an open access article under the terms of the CC-BY 4.0, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

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