title: An experimental approach to determining fatigue crack size in polyethylene tibial inserts.
abstract: A major limiting factor to the longevity of prosthetic knee joints is fatigue crack damage of the polyethylene tibial insert. Existing methods to quantify fatigue crack damage have several shortcomings, including limited resolution, destructive testing approach, and high cost. We propose an alternative fatigue crack damage visualization and measurement method that addresses the shortcomings of existing methods. This new method is based on trans-illumination and differs from previously described methods in its ability to non-destructively measure subsurface fatigue crack damage while using a simple and cost-effective bench-top set-up. We have evaluated this method to measure fatigue crack damage in two tibial inserts. This new method improves on existing image-based techniques due to its usability for subsurface damage measurement and its decreased reliance on subjective damage identification and measurement.
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA.
authors.forename: Carly A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Lockard
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA; Ortho Development Corporation, Draper, UT 84020, USA.
authors.forename: Anthony P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Sanders
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA. Electronic address: bart.raeymaekers@utah.edu.
authors.forename: Bart
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Raeymaekers
mesh_terms: D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D007595:Joint Prosthesis; D007719:Knee Joint; D008422:Materials Testing / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods*; D020959:Polyethylene; D013314:Stress, Mechanical; D013977:Tibia
chemical_list: D020959:Polyethylene
keywords: Fatigue; Prosthetic knee joint; UHMWPE