Mechanical Properties of Carbon/epoxy-HA Hybrid Composites for Potential External Fixation Bone Plates

Lightweight materials that are biocompatible, have high mechanical strength, and low stiffness close to those of human cortical bones are required to replace high-strength metallic bone plates. This study investigated hybrid composites made of treated woven carbon fiber (TC) to reinforce epoxy resin (E) filled with hydroxyapatite (HA), which varied by 0, 1, 2, 3, 5, and 7 vol.% to produce the composite type with mechanical properties close to cortical bone. Mechanical tests of tensile, bending, and hardness were conducted on all composites and characterized their properties. The composite type of TC/E-HA1 had the optimum tensile and flexural strengths. All composite types included Young's modulus, flexural modulus, and fracture strain in the range of cortical bone properties, while their mechanical strength was higher but not higher than that of metallic bone plates. This study suggests that this TC/E-HA composite type could be developed as an alternative material for external fixation bone plates.