Material characterization of glass/polypropylene composite bone plates according to the forming. condition and performance evaluation under a simulated human body environment

초록

The mechanical performance of a composite bone plate made of a glass/polypropylene (Twintex) for the biologic fixation of diaphyseal long bone fractures was investigated in this paper. To find out the most appropriate forming condition of the composite bone plate, tensile and bending tests and microscopic observations of the specimens fabricated by various forming conditions were carried out. The measured mechanical properties, the morphology of the material cross-section, the fibre volume fractions, etc., were mutually correlated, and the results were used for determining the most appropriate forming condition. An environmental test of composite bone plates under a simulated human body also was carried out using the fabricated composite bone plate. The material degradation according to the water-exposure time was quantitatively investigated by a four-point bending test. Finally, the serviceability of the proposed composite bone plate was verified by fatigue tests. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

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