Journal
POLYMER TESTING
Volume 27, Issue 5, Pages 616-620Publisher
ELSEVIER SCI LTD
DOI: 10.1016/j.polymertesting.2008.03.007
Keywords
UHMWPE; fracture toughness; CTOD; total joint replacement
Funding
- NIAMS NIH HHS [R01 AR047192, R01 AR047192-05] Funding Source: Medline
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Fracture of ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) total joint replacement components is a clinical concern. Thus, it is important to characterize the fracture resistance of UHMWPE. To determine J-initiation fracture toughness (J(Q)) for metals and metallic alloys, ASTM E1820 recommends a procedure based on an empirical crack blunting line. This approach has been found to overestimate the initiation toughness of tough polymers like UHMWPE. Therefore, in this study, a novel experimental approach based on crack tip opening displacement (CTOD) was utilized to evaluate J(Q) of UHMWPE materials. J-initiation fracture toughness was experimentally measured in ambient air and a physiologically relevant 37 degrees C PBS environment for three different formulations of UHMWPE and compared to the blunting line approach. The CTOD method was found to provide J(Q) values comparable to the blunting line approach for the UHMWPE materials and environments examined in this study. The CTOD method used in this study is based on experimental observation, and thus, does not rely on an empirical relationship or fracture surface measurements. Therefore, determining J(Q) using the experimentally based CTOD method proposed in this study may be a more reliable approach for UHMWPE and other tough polymers than the blunting line approach. (C) 2008 Published by Elsevier Ltd.
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