Mesh Considerations for Adaptive Finite Element Analyses of Cement Failure in Total Hip Replacement

INTRODUCTION Failure of the cement mantle has been identified as a possible mode of failure of the implanted femur in total hip replacement (THR) [1]. Finite element (FE) analyses have been used to investigate the stresses experienced in the cement mantle [2] and to predict the life of the cement mantle when taking different factors into account [3]. The number of elements used, or mesh density, is an important consideration when creating a FE model. A model with an insufficient mesh density will not be able to fully capture the stress state in the area of interest, but increasing the mesh density dramatically increases the computational cost of the analysis. The aim of this study is to determine the mesh density necessary to model creep and damage accumulation in the cement mantle of a cemented implanted femur. We compare the initial stress state and damage accumulation rate for different mesh densities and different element types.