Finite element investigation into the use of carbon fibre reinforced PEEK laminated composites for distal radius fracture fixation implants.

Carbon fibre reinforced PEEK (CF/PEEK) laminates provide mechanical advantages over homogenous metal osteo-synthesis implants, e.g. radiolucency, fatigue strength and strength to weight ratio. Implants can be designed with custom anisotropic material properties, thus enabling the engineer to tailor the overall stiffness of the implant to the specific loading conditions it will experience in vivo. In the current study a multi-scale computational investigation of idealised distal radius fracture fixation plate (DRP) is conducted. Physiological loading conditions are applied to macro-scale finite element models of DRPs. The mechanical response is compared for several CF/PEEK laminate layups to examine the effect of ply layup design. The importance of ply orientation in laminated DRPs is highlighted. A high number of 0° plies near the outer surfaces results in a greater bending strength while the addition of 45° plies increases the torsional strength of the laminates. Intra-laminar transverse tensile failure is predicted as the primary mode of failure. A micro-mechanical analysis of the CF/PEEK microstructure uncovers the precise mechanism under-lying intra-laminar transverse tensile crack to be debonding of the PEEK matrix from carbon fibres. Plastic strains in the matrix material are not sufficiently high to result in ductile failure of the matrix. The findings of this study demonstrate the significant challenge in the design and optimisation of fibre reinforced laminated composites for orthopaedic applications, highlighting the importance of multi-scale modelling for identification of failure mechanisms.

Multi-axial damage and failure of medical grade carbon fibre reinforced PEEK laminates: Experimental testing and computational modelling.

Orthopaedic devices using unidirectional carbon fibre reinforced poly-ether-ether-ketone (PEEK) laminates potentially offer several benefits over metallic implants including: anisotropic material properties; radiolucency and strength to weight ratio. However, despite FDA clearance of PEEK-OPTIMA™ Ultra-Reinforced, no investigation of the mechanical properties or failure mechanisms of a medical grade unidirectional laminate material has been published to date, thus hindering the development of first-generation laminated orthopaedic devices. This study presents the first investigation of the mechanical behaviour and failure mechanisms of PEEK-OPTIMA™ Ultra-Reinforced. The following multi-axial suite of experimental tests are presented: 0° and 90° tension and compression, in-plane shear, mode I and mode II fracture toughness, compression of ±45° laminates and flexure of 0°, 90° and ±45° laminates. Three damage mechanisms are uncovered: (1) inter-laminar delamination, (2) intra-laminar cracking and (3) anisotropic plasticity. A computational damage and failure model that incorporates all three damage mechanisms is developed. The model accurately predicts the complex multi-mode failure mechanisms observed experimentally. The ability of a model to predict diverse damage mechanisms under multiple loading directions conditions is critical for the safe design of fibre reinforced laminated orthopaedic devices subjected to complex physiological loading conditions.