Publication date: 30 July 2026
Source: Journal of Biomimetics, Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering Vol. 73
Author(s): Shan Wei, Xin Xin Zhang, Zheng Yu Wang, Kaltoum Fouzi, Okala Vincent Carmel, Xiang Li, Jian Ping Wang
In order to accommodate the high range of motion (ROM) required for daily activities of Asian populations, such as squatting and kneeling, patients with hip joint diseases require prostheses with a large ROM. However, traditional ceramic-on-ceramic (CoC) hip prostheses have a prominent contradiction: using larger-diameter femoral heads for high flexion significantly increases the risk of ceramic liner fracture. This study draws bionic inspiration from turtle shell morphology. It applies structural bionic design to develop a large-ROM hip prosthesis. A discrete model is built based on turtle shell structure and ceramic size effects. Finite element simulations and tribological experiments are conducted. The results show that a ROM of 142.9° is achieved, the peak stress is only 34.995 MPa (approximately 50% lower than the accepted 70 MPa safety threshold for alumina ceramics), and compared with traditional monolithic prostheses, stress concentration is reduced by 30% and the crack propagation risk by 40%. Structural reliability is ensured by the finite element-optimized geometry and precision-machined ceramic components (Vickers hardness: 2513.2 MPa, surface roughness: Ra ≤ 0.1 μm). This new prosthesis meets patients’ needs, provides references for other joint designs, and enriches the integration of mechanical and bionic design.
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