Small punch testing response to variation in miniature specimen thickness

The small punch test has been validated as a miniature specimen test for orthopedic implants. Since implants provide a finite amount of material for testing, reducing the specimen size is necessary to increase the number of possible test specimens. However, it is unclear how the reduction in specimen size will affect the properties of the small punch test. Therefore, the goal of this study is to identify the relationships between the specimen thickness and the metrics of the small punch test. Results show linear relationships between specimen thickness and peak load, ultimate load, and work-to-failure. A cubic relationship was observed between specimen thickness and initial stiffness.