Frequency Dependence of Viscoelastic Materials for Small Joint Replacements

Elastomers, such as silicone, are currently used for many designs of artificial finger and wrist joints because they are inert, durable, flexible and allow the necessary range of movements [1–6]. The disadvantage of these silicone joints is that they fracture in vivo [3,5,7]. In addition, these elastomers are viscoelastic so that their properties may depend on loading frequency. It is then possible that the performance of the joints may be frequency dependent. As a first stage in investigating such effects, we have determined the storage and loss moduli of a medical grade silicone in compression.