Experimental and numerical studies of the notch strengthening behaviour of semi-crystalline ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene

In the present work, both experimental work and Finite Element Modeling (FEM) have been used to study the effects of notch geometry on the stress/strain behaviour and fracture of the ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) at quasi static conditions. The effects of notch profile radii on UHMWPE fracture behaviour, predicted stress/strain distribution, triaxial state of stress and hydrostatic pressure across the neck have been studied. Different techniques have been used to study the effects of notch geometry on the UHMWPE properties. Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) has been used to study the changes in the tested material crystallinity. The universal testing machine has been used to measure the changes in the tested material mechanical properties. The SEM has been used to examine the change in the tested material fracture surface. Finally, the Finite Element Code (ANSYS10) has been used to investigate the effects of notch geometry on the predicted stress/strain distribution across the neck. The results show a notch strengthening behaviour for the tested material, where the axial yield properties increased significantly with the reduction of notch radii, while the axial ultimate properties decreased significantly for the notched specimens compared with plain ones. Also the predicted stress/strain distribution and stress triaxiality show a strong dependence on the notch geometry. The remarkable effects of notch geometry on the predicted stress/strains distributions across the neck show the importance of careful design of UHMWPE artificial joint components with the aim to eliminate the presence of stress risers such as undercuts and fillets.