Effect of carbon fiber type on monotonic and fatigue properties of orthopedic grade PEEK

Carbon-fiber reinforced (CFR) PEEK implants are used in orthopedic applications ranging from fracture fixation plates to spinal fusion cages. Documented implant failures and increasing volume and variety of CFR PEEK implants warrant a clearer understanding of material behavior under monotonic and cyclic loading. To address this issue, we conducted monotonic and fatigue crack propagation (FCP) experiments on orthopedic grade unfilled PEEK and two formulations of CFR PEEK (PAN- and pitch-based carbon fibers). The effect of annealing on FCP behavior was also studied. Under monotonic loading, fiber type had a statistically significant effect on elastic modulus (12.5 ± 1.3 versus 18.5 ± 2.3 GPa, pitch versus PAN CFR PEEK, AVG ± SD) and on ultimate tensile strength (145 ± 9 versus 192 ± 17 MPa, pitch versus PAN CFR PEEK, AVG ± SD). Fiber type did not have a significant effect on failure strain. Under cyclic loading, PAN CFR PEEK demonstrated an increased resistance to FCP compared with unfilled and pitch CFR PEEK, and this improvement was enhanced following annealing. Pitch CFR PEEK exhibited similar FCP behavior to unfilled PEEK and neither material was substantially affected by annealing. The improvements in monotonic and FCP behavior of PAN CFR PEEK is attributed to a compound effect of inherent fiber properties, increased fiber number for an equivalent wt % reinforcement, and fiber aspect ratio. FCP was shown to proceed via cyclic modes during stable crack growth, which transitioned to static modes (more akin to monotonic fracture) at longer crack lengths. The mechanisms of fatigue crack propagation appear similar between carbon-fiber types.