Tensile and flexural characteristic of functionally graded carbon fiber reinforced composites with alumina and yttria stabilized zirconia fillers for bone implant

Abstract

Bone fractures are a common form of injury with more than 10 million cases per year in India. The vivo treatment of bone fractures is done with a surgical bone plate attached to the site of fracture. The bone plate attached to the injured bone facilitates the load bearing and helps in the healing of bones. Commonly stainless steel, titanium alloys and chromium cobalt alloys are used as the materials for these implants. They have the disadvantage of stress shielding the bone and having differing elastic modulus from the bone which causes reduction in bone density and implant loosening, respectively. This problem can be reduced using bone implant that have mechanical properties like the bone. The bone is a natural functionally graded material with varying mechanical properties from the surface to the core of the bone. So, a functionally graded material concept can be used instead of conventional metal or metal alloys for the bone plates. The gradation is done in a carbon fiber reinforcement polymer matrix with alumina and yttria-stabilized zirconia as particulate filler. Mechanical testing has shown that carbon fiber reinforced polymer composite with YSZ as particulate filler exhibits the best properties that are suitable for use as implants.