Mechanical impact behavior of polyether-ether-ketone (PEEK)

This paper deals with the mechanical behavior of polyether-ether-ketone (PEEK) under impact loading. PEEK polymers are the great interested in the field of medical implants due to their biocompatibility, weight reduction, radiology advantage and 3D printing properties. Implant applications can involve impact loading during useful life and medical installation, such as hip systems, bone anchors and cranial prostheses. In this work, the mechanical impact behavior of PEEK is compared with Ti6Al4V titanium alloy commonly used for medical applications. In order to calculate the kinetic energy absorption in the impact process, perforation tests have been conducted on plates of both materials using steel spheres of 1.3 g mass as rigid penetrators. The perforation test covered impact kinetic energies from 21 J to 131 J, the equivalent range observed in a fall, an accidental impact or a bike accident. At all impact energies, the ductile process of PEEK plates was noted and no evidence of brittle failure was observed. Numerical modeling that includes rate dependent material is presented and validated with experimental data.