Abstract
One of the main causes of hip prostheses failure is the premature wear of their components. Multi-directional motion or “cross-shear” motion has been identified as one of the most significant factors affecting the wear rate of UHMWPE in total hip joint replacement prostheses. To better evaluate the effect of this cross-shear motion on the tribological behavior of different biomaterials, a new wear testing device has been designed and developed. This new instrument is capable to reproduce the “cross-shear” effect with bidirectional motion on bearing materials and to determine coefficient of friction (COF) between surfaces during testing. To validate the functionality of this new testing platform, alumina balls were articulated against Ti-6Al-4V ELI alloy disks in Ringer’s solution. Four different articulation patterns, all with identical path lengths per cycle, were tested. Gravimetric weight loss was converted to volumetric wear data in order to determine the effects of motion patterns on the wear. Worn surfaces were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy. This scientific approach to quantifying the tribological effects of cross-shear provides fundamental data that are crucial in evaluating potential biomaterials for use in knee and hip joint replacements.
Highlights
Hip replacement surgery includes replacing a damaged hip joint with an artificial one to diminish pain and enhance mobility
Instruments 2019, 3, 35 intended for biomedical applications have been investigated through unidirectional ball-on-disc or pin-on-disc wear testing lubricated with simulated body fluid [9,10] and fetal bovine serum [11]
The objective of the design and development of a new wear testing device capable to reproduce the “cross-shear” effect on bearing materials and to measure the coefficient of friction (COF) between surfaces during testing the “cross-shear” effect on bearing materials and to measure the COF between surfaces during testing was to expand the understanding of the impact of multidirectional motion on the wear rate of different was to expand the understanding of the impact of multidirectional motion on the wear rate of materials
Summary
Hip replacement surgery includes replacing a damaged hip joint with an artificial one to diminish pain and enhance mobility. Several researchers have investigated the tribological behavior of surface modified titanium alloys Some of these investigations included pin-on-disk [4,5] or ball-on-disk [6,7,8] experiments under dry conditions. Instruments 2019, 3, 35 intended for biomedical applications have been investigated through unidirectional ball-on-disc or pin-on-disc wear testing lubricated with simulated body fluid [9,10] and fetal bovine serum [11]. The influence of the multidirectional motion on the wear rate of biocompatible metallic alloys was evaluated through an experimental comparison of surface damage resulting from linear versus multidirectional motion on biocompatible titanium alloy specimens using ball-on-disc configuration and lubricated with simulated body fluid
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
