Twomey, Clay (2024) Design of a Porous Femoral Stem to Reduce Stress Shielding in Total Hip Arthroplasty. [USQ Project]
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Abstract
This dissertation presents the design, simulation and analysis of a porous femoral stem to reduce the occurrence of stress shielding in Total Hip Arthroplasty (THA). Stress shielding occurs when rigid prosthetic structures prevent the natural elastic deformation of surrounding bone tissue that would normally stimulate the growth of new bone cells, resulting in a loss in bone density and increased risk of implant failure. This project introduces lattice-based porous structures within the femoral stem to replicate the elasticity of natural bone and reduce the occurrence of stress shielding.
Finite Element Analysis (FEA) was conducted on square, hexagonal and diamond-star lattice structures over a range of porosities to assess their mechanical performance. At the maximum tested porosity, the hexagonal and diamond-star lattices were able to achieve an elastic modulus lower than that of cortical femoral bone at 19.6GPa, indicating that they are suitable for use in a low elastic modulus femoral stem. Each lattice was incorporated into an in-situ porous femoral stem and FEA was conducted, measuring the occurrence of stress shielding. The hexagonal and diamond-star lattices reduced stress shielding to a maximum of 12% and completely negated stress shielding in some zones of the femur.
The results of the study show that hexagonal and diamond-star lattice-based porous femoral stems are highly effective in reducing the occurrence of stress shielding in THA, however, the surface cell layer is prone to failure and the proposed designs require further refinement.
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| Item Type: | USQ Project |
|---|---|
| Item Status: | Live Archive |
| Faculty/School / Institute/Centre: | Current – Faculty of Health, Engineering and Sciences - School of Engineering (1 Jan 2022 -) |
| Supervisors: | Quince, Zachery |
| Qualification: | Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (Mechanical) |
| Date Deposited: | 18 Mar 2026 05:16 |
| Last Modified: | 18 Mar 2026 05:16 |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | Total Hip Arthroplasty (THA); stress shielding |
| URI: | https://sear.unisq.edu.au/id/eprint/53170 |
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