Fractographic Investigation of Failure in Stainless Steel Orthopedic Plates

Plates of austenitic stainless steel are often used in orthopedic surgery for fixing ends of the broken bones and for repairing fractures. The paper analyzes a premature breakage of six plates for fixing broken bones with different patients during their recovery. Each plate's breakage can induce serious aftermaths such as a new surgery, unexpected undesired complications and a prolonged healing time. The research of the plate breakage required an examination of the chemical composition and steel hardness, metallographic examination as well as that of the plate breakage surface by means of macroscopic and microscopic fractographic observations using stereomicroscope and scanning electron microscope. On the basis of the results it can be concluded that the breakage was caused by steel wear with a high static load and with no corrosion.