ABSTRACT
In this study, we have provided an experimental evaluation of the fatigue behavior of the nitinol (NiTi) endovascular device (peripheral stent). The accelerated fatigue tests were performed using arterial conditions, which mimicked actual physiological conditions. Natural, rubber latex-tubing materials were used to simulate human arteries. The equipment design and the test parameters used allowed for the simulation of a compliant artery and the application of circumferential forces to the device.The stent compliance values were good indicators for tracking the time evolution of fatigue behavior. Moreover, the analyses of changes on the surface morphology and on the chemical composition were used to establish a relationship between surface characteristics and peripheral stent response during 400 million cycles, which is equivalent to 10 yrs of human life. In order to determine the influence of the accelerated fatigue, an evaluation of both mechanical and surface characteristics was carried out before and after testing using the following tests and methods, respectively: radial hoop testing (RH), scanning electron microscope analysis (SEM), auger electron spectroscopy (AES), atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Under these experimental conditions, the studies have shown that after 400 million cycles, the tested stents did not demonstrate any mechanical failure. Moreover, the surface did not undergo any changes in its chemical composition. However, we did observe an increase in roughness and signs of pitting corrosion.
ABSTRACT
We investigate the behavior of NiTi porous alloys, possessing the property of shape memory, by using different characterization methods XPS, Auger, DSC and SEM. The study mainly focuses on the determination of porosity, surface characteristics and the phase transformation. In the case of porous material the biomechanical compatibility is closely related to the internal structure and porosity distribution. To describe appropriately the influence of the properties of NiTi on the memory shape, two types of materials provided by different sources has been analyzed. Despite the fact that both materials present different pores size, they exhibit an open and interconnected porosity. Our measurements show that the temperature of the inception of the martensite-austenite phase transition occurs at 60 degrees C, which is by 20 degrees C greater than the body temperature. Moreover, we show that the surface characteristics can be greatly influenced by heat treatment. Furthermore, we observe that the R-phase occurs only for one of the used materials after its heat treatment. The correlation between the composition and the other characteristics measured has been found.