TY - JOUR
T1 - The mechanics of head-neck taper junctions
T2 - What do we know from finite element analysis?
AU - Feyzi, Mohsen
AU - Fallahnezhad, Khosro
AU - Taylor, Mark
AU - Hashemi, Reza
PY - 2021/4
Y1 - 2021/4
N2 - Modular hip implants are widely used in hip arthroplasty because of the advantages they can offer such as flexibility in material combinations and geometrical adjustments. The mechanical environment of the modular junction in the body is quite challenging due to the complex and varying off-axial mechanical loads of physical activities applied to a tapered interface of two contacting materials (head and neck) assembled by an impact force intraoperatively. Experimental analogies to the in-vivo condition of the taper junction are complex, expensive and time-consuming to implement; hence, computational simulations have been a preferred approach taken by researchers for studying the mechanics of these modular junctions that can help us understand their failure mechanisms and improve their design and longevity after implantation. This paper provides a clearer insight into the mechanics of the head-neck taper junction through a careful review on the finite element studies of the junction and their findings. The effects of various factors on the mechanical outputs namely: stresses, micromotions, and contact situations are reviewed and discussed. Also, the simulation methodology of the studies in the literature is compared. Research opportunities for future are scrutinised through tabulating data and information that have been carefully retrieved form the reported findings.
AB - Modular hip implants are widely used in hip arthroplasty because of the advantages they can offer such as flexibility in material combinations and geometrical adjustments. The mechanical environment of the modular junction in the body is quite challenging due to the complex and varying off-axial mechanical loads of physical activities applied to a tapered interface of two contacting materials (head and neck) assembled by an impact force intraoperatively. Experimental analogies to the in-vivo condition of the taper junction are complex, expensive and time-consuming to implement; hence, computational simulations have been a preferred approach taken by researchers for studying the mechanics of these modular junctions that can help us understand their failure mechanisms and improve their design and longevity after implantation. This paper provides a clearer insight into the mechanics of the head-neck taper junction through a careful review on the finite element studies of the junction and their findings. The effects of various factors on the mechanical outputs namely: stresses, micromotions, and contact situations are reviewed and discussed. Also, the simulation methodology of the studies in the literature is compared. Research opportunities for future are scrutinised through tabulating data and information that have been carefully retrieved form the reported findings.
KW - Contact pressure
KW - Finite element
KW - Head-neck junction
KW - Mechanical behaviour
KW - Micromotions
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85100038801&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.jmbbm.2021.104338
DO - 10.1016/j.jmbbm.2021.104338
M3 - Review article
AN - SCOPUS:85100038801
VL - 116
JO - Journal of the Mechanical Behavior of Biomedical Materials
JF - Journal of the Mechanical Behavior of Biomedical Materials
SN - 1751-6161
M1 - 104338
ER -