Finite Element Analysis of Hydroxyapatite-Coated Titanium and Steel Hip Implants: Impacts on Stress Redistribution

This stress redistribution was consistent across both material types, highlighting the coatings' role in enhancing the load-bearing capacity of the implants. Furthermore, titanium implants exhibited lower stress concentrations compared to steel implants, confirming titanium's superior mechanical properties and biocompatibility. These findings suggest that the combination of titanium implants with HA coatings can substantially improve implant durability and performance, providing critical insights for optimizing hip implant designs to enhance patient outcomes. This study employs the Finite Element Method (FEM) to analyse and to mitigate stresses on hip implants, focusing specifically on the impact of Hydroxyapatite (HA) coatings on stress distribution. We examined both steel and titanium implants to assess the influence of material properties on stress patterns within the implant components. Our results demonstrated that HA coatings effectively shifted peak stress concentrations from the implant stem to the coating itself, leading to a significant reduction in overall stress levels. Specifically, the maximum stress in the steel stem without coating (model 1) decreased from 140.6 MPa to 66.1 MPa with the addition of the HA coating (model 2). Similarly, the maximum stress in the Ti-6Al-4V stem without coating (model 3) reduced from 96.9 MPa to 51.9 MPa with the coating (model 4). This stress redistribution was consistent across both material types, highlighting the coatings' role in enhancing the load-bearing capacity of the implants. Furthermore, titanium implants exhibited lower stress concentrations compared to steel implants, confirming titanium's superior mechanical properties and biocompatibility. These findings suggest that the combination of titanium implants with HA coatings can substantially improve implant durability and performance, providing critical insights for optimizing hip implant designs to enhance patient outcomes.