1.1 This practice describes a method for the fatigue testing of metallic stemmed femoral components used in hip arthroplasty. The described method is intended to be used to evaluate the comparison of various designs and materials used for stemmed femoral components used in the arthroplasty. This practice covers procedures for the performance of fatigue tests using (as a forcing function) a periodic constant amplitude force.

1.2 This practice applies primarily to one-piece prostheses and modular components, with head in place such that prostheses should not have an anterior/posterior bow, and should have a nearly straight section on the distal 50 mm of the stem. This practice may require modifications to accommodate other femoral stem designs.

1.3 For additional information see Refs. (1) through (5).