Abstract
This paper deals with the effects of counterpart material and aqueous environment on the wear of ultra high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE). Specimens of radiation crosslinked and non-crosslinked UHMWPE were exposed to unidirectional sliding against austenitic stainless steel, a hardened 100Cr6 steel coated with a diamond like carbon layer (DLC), a CoCrMo alloy and against alumina. The tests were performed in normal atmosphere and in distilled water. The results revealed that the UHMWPE(C) (cut from the core of the non-crosslinked UHMWPE block) has a better wear resistance than UHMWPE(S) (cut from the surface of the non-crosslinked UHMWPE block), UHMWPE-X (crosslinked UHMWPE) has a higher wear resistance than UHMWPE(C). One exception is dry sliding against Al 2O 3 where UHMWPE(C) is superior to UHMWPE-X. Under wet conditions, the lowest wear rate was achieved with UHMWPE-X sliding against CoCrMo. The results show that the wear of the material strongly depends on the type of counterpart material. The effect of water lubrication varies from pairing to pairing.
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