Corrosion behaviour of metal fibre web structures

Concerning the soft tissue reaction to stainless steel (316L) fibre mesh structures, it was found that mesh materials composed of small diameter fibres (2-8 mu m) were lined by several layers of macrophages and giant cells. In addition, the majority of these mesh implants were filled with inflammatory cells. In contrast, mesh materials with a larger fibre diameter (12-22 mu m) evoked less or no inflammatory reaction. An explanation for this observation could be the occurrence of shear displacements at the soft tissue-implant interface. In addition, corrosion phenomena as a result of the increased surface area of small fibre diameter meshes can be responsible for a greater toxic ion release. In this study the corrosion rates and the influence of shear stress on the corrosion rates of different stainless steel 316L fibre mesh structures were compared under in vitro laboratory conditions. It appeared that the effect of mechanical stress on 316L corrosion was a significant increase in the concentration of corrosion products in the loaded situation. Furthermore, the effect of fibre diameter on the release of corrosion products was a significant difference in ion release between mesh materials made of fibres with a diameter of 4 mu m compared to meshes with a diameter of 12 and 22 mu m. Therefore it was concluded that the chemical properties of fibre mesh implant material, together with the ability to release toxic ions, are an important determinant in the final tissue behaviour.