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Prediction of service lifetime and performance of a prosthetic thermoplastic
Author(s) -
Chiu C.H.,
Lautenschlager E. P.,
Greener E. H.,
Childress D. S.,
Healy K. E.
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
journal of applied polymer science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.575
H-Index - 166
eISSN - 1097-4628
pISSN - 0021-8995
DOI - 10.1002/app.1995.070581001
Subject(s) - weathering , ultimate tensile strength , thermoplastic , degradation (telecommunications) , service life , materials science , composite material , polymer , computer science , geology , telecommunications , geomorphology
The service lifetime and performance for a prosthetic and orthotic thermoplastic, Subortholen TM , was measured using correlations between artificial and natural weathering degradation data of (1) the accumulated carbonyl compound concentration at the polymer surface, (2) changes in thickness of the surface reaction zone, and (3) changes in hardness and tensile properties. An empirical, mathematical relationship between artificial and natural weathering exposures is presented. Results show that the hardness degradation is a useful parameter to estimate the different stages in clinical performance of Subortholen. Corroborating hardness, tensile properties, and weathering exposure time, the service lifetime for Subortholen was determined to be 4–6 years. This finding indicates that the correlation between artificial and natural weathering degradation may provide an effective way to calculate the most appropriate time to replace a worn prosthetic or orthotic device before the device passes into a dangerous stage. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.