摘要 |
A prothesis tibial bearing of thermoplastic material has a planar surface which engages the mating planar surface of a second prothesis component such as the tibial platform. The typically metal platform edge wipes across the inner surface region of the bearing causing deformation of the bearing surface. This deformation causes stress magnification in the bearing at the platform edge region. The edge region of the platform planar surface is tapered to provide a gradual curved ramp between a relatively small corner radius at the platform edge and the platform planar surface, the tapered region being tangential to the edge radius and to the platform planar surface. The stress concentration increase at the edge region of the bearing is reduced at the platform edge region to below 100% and preferably to about 25% of the stress value between the bearing and the platform in the region interior the platform edge. The tapered surface region is preferably a curvature of tangential contiguous radii tangent to the platform planar surface, but may be planar.
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