journal article·2026-07Open access

A comprehensive review on fatigue failure of metallic biomaterials

Huafang Li, Chao Shen, Luning Wang

Abstract

Metallic biomaterials, including conventional bio-inert metallic materials and recently developed biodegradable metals, are one of the important groups of materials used in clinical applications. Development of metallic biomaterials highly relies on understanding their service cycle and further failure mechanisms in human body. Fatigue and corrosion fatigue are often related to the premature mechanical failure and are key factors to determine the service life of metallic biomaterials. This review systematically summarizes the fatigue and corrosion fatigue behaviors of conventional bio-inert metallic materials (Co–Cr alloys, Ti alloys, stainless steels) and biodegradable metals (Mg-based, Zn-based, Fe-based alloys), revealing distinct fatigue characteristics between these two categories: bio-inert metals show insensitivity to physiological environments and their fatigue strength is positively correlated with tensile strength, while biodegradable metals exhibit severely degraded fatigue performance in simulated body fluids owing to synergistic corrosion–fatigue effects. Key influencing factors, fatigue failure mechanisms, and strengthening strategies (such as surface modification, composition optimization, and microstructure control) are thoroughly discussed. Furthermore, future research directions are proposed, including in vivo fatigue evaluation, multiscale computational modeling, structural optimization of additively manufactured implants, and mechanistic studies of corrosion–fatigue interaction, to guide the design of durable and reliable metallic biomaterials. Thus, understanding the fatigue behavior and mechanism of metallic biomaterials is of great importance for further development of metallic biomaterials. In the present review, the current status and research progress on fatigue behaviors and mechanisms of metallic biomaterials have been thoroughly summarized and discussed. Besides, future trends in exploring fatigue behaviors and mechanisms of metallic biomaterials are also presented.
Source: openalex_inverted_index · Quality: baseline

Research context

OpenAlex topics: Fatigue and fracture mechanics · Mechanical Failure Analysis and Simulation · Titanium Alloys Microstructure and Properties

SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.

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