2010 Volume 57 Issue 5 Pages 293-297
In this paper, mechanical studies on biomaterials for reconstruction and regeneration of bone and joints of lower limb are summarized. Finite element analyses of knee and hip prostheses were performed to characterize the mechanical conditions of the artificial components and the mechanical interaction between bone and prosthesis. The computational results showed that for the knee prosthesis, the transitional behavior of stress concentration on ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene insert corresponded to actual damage formations, and for the hip prosthesis, the disturbed stress on the injured acetabulum was effectively reduced by the joint replacement, however, stress shielding effect in the femur was also induced by stem insertion. Strength enhancement of bioabsorbable porous poly(L-lactide) scaffold was also investigated using layered structurization. It was found that those properties were effectively improved by introducing layered structures.
