Numerical simulation and analysis of fatigue performance for the humeral stem

Background and objective: Fatigue failure of the humeral stem is a severe long-term failure after shoulder arthroplasty, causing harm to patients and resulting in complex revision surgeries. However, there are few studies on humeral stem fatigue testing, and corresponding testing standards have not been established. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the fatigue performance of the humeral stem by establishing an efficient numerical simulation method. Methods: Material properties are obtained by uniaxial tensile and fatigue tests. A parameterized static analysis program was written, and an automated fatigue numerical simulation platform was established using Abaqus, Fe-safe, and Isight in combination, enabling the establishment of a numerical simulation method for the fatigue performance of the humeral stem. Result: Standard testing conditions include an 8 mm diameter humeral stem, a 40-21B humeral head, an 8 degrees tilt angle, and a 2 mm fillet radius. Further research found that the fatigue life of the humeral stem decreases with increasing patient weight, and patients should control their weight after surgery. Conclusions: The established automated fatigue numerical simulation platform avoids repetitive operations and efficiently completes large-scale calculations, guiding preoperative humeral stem selection and testing.