Endurance of gel‐filled silicone breast implants as a function of maximum load in cyclic compression tests

The mechanical behaviour of gel‐filled silicone breast implants is examined under compressive load. First the implants are tested by applying various loads in a repetitive fashion until shell rupture occurs. Subsequently the results are presented allowing an assessment of the correlation between the number of loading cycles and the maximum compressive load. Finally it is possible to estimate the endurance of the silicone breast implants. Using a power law, a correlation between endurance and maximum load is revealed. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry The mechanical behaviour of silicone breast implants under compressive load was examined. By means of the measured values, a correlation of implant endurance and maximum load was revealed.