Abstract
An investigation has been performed to develop an analysis tool based on a nonlinear beam theory, which can be used to predict the long-term behavior of an artificial hip joint. The nonlinear behav ior of the femur arise from the coupled dependence of the bone density and the mechanical properties on each other. The beam theory together with its numerical algorithm is developed to take into account the nonlinear bone remodeling process of the femur that is long enough to be assumed as a beam. A piecewise linear curve for the bone remodeling rate is used in the bone remodeling theory and the surface area density of bone is modeled as the third order polynomial function of bone density. At each section of the beam, a constant curvature is assumed and the longitudinal strains are also assumed to vary linearly across the section. The Newton-Rhapson iteration method is used to solve the nonlinear equations for each cross section of the bone and a backward method is used to march along the time. The density and the remodeling signal ar, calculated along with time for the various time steps, and the developed beam theory has been verified by comparing with the results of finite element analysis of a remodeling bone with an artificial hip joint of titanium prosthesis subjected to uni-axial loads and pure bending moment. It is concluded that the developed beam theory can be used to predict the long-term behavior of the femur and thus to design the artificial hip prosthesis.
