ABSTRACT
Iron-, titanium-, and cobalt-base alloys marketed under various trade names have been hitherto used in manufacturing artificial hip joints. The chemical composition, structure, and mechanical properties of these alloys are described in national and international standard specifications. The structure of an implant alloy is on one hand determined by its chemical composition and on the other hand by the manufacturing process used in the production of the alloy. The alloying elements contained in the metallic materials form homogeneous solid solutions of high corrosion resistance. When designing a hip prosthesis, the stresses expected in the human body should be known in order to be able to provide a safety factor against failure of the selected implant material. Increase the corrosion resistance of hip prostheses made of stainless steel, utmost attention must be given to the optimum shaping of the implant and the selection of a special quality.
