A miniature specimen mechanical testing technique scaled to articulating surface of polyethylene components for total joint arthroplasty

The small punch test was developed to investigate the mechanical behavior of polyethylene using miniature specimens (< 14 mg) measuring 0.5 mm in thickness and 6.4 mm in diameter. The objective of this study was to demonstrate the feasibility and reproducibility of the small punch test when applied to clinically relevant polyethylenes. Mechanical behavior was characterized during 66 tests performed on GUR4150HP and GUR4120 specimens following alternate sterilization methods and 4 weeks of accelerated aging at 80 degrees C. The small punch test was found to be highly reproducible with regard to characterizing the ductility, ultimate strength, and fracture resistance of sterilized and aged polyethylene. In the future, the small punch test can be used to directly measure mechanical properties near the articulating surface of retrieved components.