Design and Stress Analysis of Artificial Hip Joint

Abstract

Artificial hip joint, either as a partial or a total replacement, has become a widely accepted solution for natural hip joint damages. To function as a replacement of a natural joint, the artificial one must fulfill the requirements of biocompatibility, stability and mobility. This study was focused on the 3D geometrical design of a total hip joint replacement and finite element analysis to evaluate the mobility and stability of the artificial joint. First, three dimensional model was built and components were assembled. Then, assembly analysis was used to detect geometrical collision during relative movement. Finally, the geometry of joint replacement components was optimized by carrying out finite element analysis for static and dynamic loadings. Results depicted that the joint mobility of hip joint replacement represented by the range of motion, was not equal to the natural one. However the range of motion of the artificial joint was still satisfactory for daily activity. Finite element analysis results indicated that the strength of hip joint replacement was sufficient which is indicated by the value of the factor of safety. The most critical areas were the neck of the femoral stem and the doom of the cup inlay. From the Finite element analysis (FEA) results, it was also predicted that wear failure tend to occur in the upper periphery of the cup inlay.