FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS OF FEMORAL PROSTHESIS UNDER TRANSIENT LOADING FOR MULTIPLE ACTIVITIES OF DAILY LIVING

Abstract

The femoral prostheses experience versatile loading during the activities of daily living (ADL) and subsequently encounter a variety of stresses. This paper presents a detailed finite element analysis (FEA) of the femoral implant under transient loading. The distinct loading patterns corresponding to the most commonly occurring ADL are utilized for simulating the different scenarios. The CT reconstructed CAD model of the human femur bone assembled with a femoral implant is utilized for this study. The loading scenarios for walking, stair ascent, stair descent, standing up, sitting down, standing on one leg and knee bending are simulated by using the joint reaction forces and moments, corresponding to a body weight of 750 N, for the FEA. The results of this study are validated using a preliminary in-house built experimental setup comprising a fixture for a stainless steel femoral implant with sensors attached at three locations on the implant. The results indicate that the highest stresses are generated in case of the stair descent, stair ascent and standing on a single leg type of activities. These activities that generate high stresses on the implant surfaces are not suitable for the longevity of the implant and are therefore not advisable for post-operative patients.