Amount Of Wear Particles Research Articles

Inflammatory Gene Profile and Particle Presence in Peri-Implant Mucosa: a Pilot Study on 9 Patients.

The purpose of this pilot study is to compare gene expression in mucosa around dental implants with zirconia abutment to titanium and investigate presence of particles in mucosa samples and on implant heads. Ten patients with a single implant supported prosthesis connected to zirconia or titanium abutments were invited at the five-year control. A clinical examination and a survey on experience of function and appearance were conducted. A mucosa biopsy taken in close vicinity to the implant were analysed by real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and presence of particles in a scanning electron microscope/energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscope (SEM/EDX). Cytological smear samples were collected and analysed through inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) to investigate presence of particles on implant heads. In total, 9 patients participated in the study, five with titanium abutments and four with zirconia abutments. All patients were satisfied with function and aesthetics. Titanium and iron particles were detected in mucosa biopsies. The ICP - MS analysis demonstrated presence of zirconia and titanium. Several proinflammatory genes were upregulated in the zirconia abutment group. Around zirconia abutments a slight increase in proinflammatory response and amount of wear particles was seen as compared to titanium. Wear particles of titanium were present in all soft tissue samples, however zirconia particles only in the samples from implants heads/mucosa with zirconia abutments.

Effects of Major Components of Synovial Fluid on the Morphology and Wear Rate of Polyetheretherketone (PEEK) Particles under an Accelerated Wear Process.

Wear particle-induced biological responses are the major factors for the failure of total joint arthroplasties, but it is possible to improve the lubrication and reduce the wear of an artificial joint system. Polyetheretherketone (PEEK), with ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene, is a suitable bearing material due to its resistance to fatigue strain. However, the effects of major compositions of synovial fluid on the wear of PEEK are unclear. We characterized the effects of three major components of synovial fluid including albumin, globulin, and phospholipids on the morphology and wear rate of PEEK wear particles. Our results demonstrated that the concentrations of albumin and globulin could affect the morphology of PEEK wear particles. In addition, a higher concentration of globulin and phospholipids (12.5 mg/mL) resulted in an increase in the amount of wear particles by 2.8- and 1.7-fold, respectively. In contrast, increasing albumin caused a reduction of wear particle numbers. These results indicate increasing concentration of albumin or reducing concentration of globulin or phospholipids has a better effect on reducing the numbers of wear particles and provides a potential solution of reducing PEEK wear particles, thus it can be more effectively applied in other biomedical systems.

Wear of Engine Oils Using Gaseous Fuels

The article defines the specifications of engine oils used alternative fuels. Used particle analysis of exploited oils gives the results of the wear mode, which indicates the ratio of large and small wear particles contained in exploited oil. Another very important result is defined as the level of wear, which indicates the amount of wear particles contained in exploited oil. For the level of wear Thin Layer Chromatography was used. It was possible in practical terms to apply discriminant analysis based on the results of these tribodiagnostic methods. Nomogram the wear receives practical information of current oil and engine wear. On oil life and operational reliability of gas engines affected by the choice of oil, according to the specifications. Another parameter is the mode of operation of the engine and preventive maintenance. The results of the oil wear were significantly different and depended just on the current state of the engine. For engines in perfect condition low values of wear were measured, for engines in poor condition critical wear was detected.

Optimization of image capturing method of wear particles for condition diagnosis of machine parts

Wear particles are inevitably occurred from moving parts, such as a piston-cylinder made from steel or hybrid materials. And a durability of these parts must be evaluated. The wear particle analysis has been known as a very effective method to foreknow and decide a moving situation and a damage of machine parts by using the digital computer image processing. But it is not laid down to calculate shape parameters of wear particle and wear volume. In order to apply image processing method in a durability evaluation of machine parts, it needs to verify the reliability of the calculated data by the image processing and to lay down the number of images and the amount of wear particles in one image. In this work, the lubricated friction experiment was carried out in order to establish the optimum image capture with the 1045 specimen under experiment condition. The wear particle data were calculated differently according to the number of image and the amount of wear particle in one image. The results show that capturing conditions need to be more than 140 wear particles in one image and over 40 images for the reliable data. Thus, the capturing method of wear particles images was optimized for condition diagnosis of machine moving parts.

Histological and morphometric studies of femurs with stable hip joint replacement. An autopsy study with special reference to factors leading to late loosening

To gain insight into the tissue reactions leading to non-infectious loosening 25 autopsy specimens of femurs with well-fixed cemented femoral components of hip prostheses were analysed histomorphologically and morphometrically. The implant duration ranged from one month to 15 years. With the exception of some focal bone-cement contacts bone and cement were separated by a fibrohistiocytic soft tissue membrane. This membrane contained wear particles predominantly of the bone cement mantle and--less abundant--of the polyethylene cups. The amount of wear particles as well as histiocytes and necroses within the membrane statistically significantly increased with advancing time in situ. The cancellous bone adjacent to the soft tissue membrane often revealed a mainly histiocytic infiltration too, accompanied by bone remodeling in this area. The histiocytic inflammatory reaction at the bone cement interface, which is mainly caused by the accumulation of wear particles is considered to be of major importance for the non infectious late loosening of cemented prostheses.

Tribological behavior of boundary lubricated sliding surfaces using three different spacing of surface profiles

The ball-on-disk type sliding tests with boundary lubricated steels were carried out to verity the effect of initial spacing in surface profiles on wear and scuffing. Three kinds of surface spacing, which are closely related with initial surface micro-cracks on sliding surfaces, were produced onAISI 1045 steel surfaces using different grinding and polishing processes. Frictional forces and time to scuffing were measured, and the shape and amount of wear particles were analyzed to compare the with original surface profiles. From the tests, it was confirmed that the size of wear particles are related closely to the original spacing of the surface profile. The time to failure and amount of wear were sensitive to the surface spacing. The wider surface spacing shows much longer sliding life and smaller amount of wear than the others. Time to scuffing was increased with increasing surface profile spacing. The size of wear particles increased while the wear and wear rateK were decreased with an increase in surface spacing. After the sliding tests, surface cracks of inner parts of the wear track formed due to scuffing were observed and compared among the specimens having the different surface spacing.

The effects of load and substrate hardness on the development and maintenance of wear-protective layers during sliding at elevated temperatures

Transitions to low wear rates often occur during sliding between contacting metal surfaces, due to the establishment of high-resistance load-bearing layers. Such layers are developed from compaction of wear debris particles, with adhesion between the particles being an important factor in determining whether the layers are maintained, leading to wear protection, or break down, leading to abrasive wear. They are formed more easily and retained more effectively at higher temperatures, due to increased sintering and adhesion between the debris particles and to enhanced oxidation of these particles. This paper presents the results of a study of the reciprocating sliding wear and friction of dissimilar combinations of pin and disc steel specimens (high-speed steel and high-chrome steel pins and carbon steel discs) at temperatures of 500–600°C, with emphasis on the influence of load and substrate hardness on the development and maintenance of such wear-protective particulate layers. Complex relationships occur between the effects of increased load in producing larger debris particles, in decreasing the critical particle size for establishing the layers and in decreasing the separation between the sliding surfaces, and the effects of hardness of the substrates on the sizes and amounts of wear particles and on the topographies of the wear scars. The relationships are complicated further by oxidation and sintering of debris particles, leading to development of oxide or oxide-containing ‘glaze’ surfaces, and subsequent breakdown of the layers during sliding.

Comparative Investigations of Regional Lymph Nodes and Pseudocapsules after Implantation of Joint Endoprostheses

Morphological alterations of pseudocapsules and regional lymph nodes were studied by light and electron microscopy and by Laser Microprobe Mass Analysis (LAMMA). The tissue specimens originated from 32 autopsies of patients with hip joint endoprostheses (time in situ: 3 weeks - 15 years, average: 6 years) and two cases with knee joint endoprostheses. Characteristic changes of the lymph nodes as well as of the pseudocapsules consisted in an infiltration by monocytic histiocytes with various intracytoplasmatic wear particles. The foreign material consisted mainly of the components of bone cement: polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) and zirconium oxide, to a lesser degree of polyethylene from the articulating surfaces. In two cases with special types of prostheses ceramic or metallic wear particles could be detected too. Most of the wear particles were found in the ipsilateral parailiac lymph nodes and in the paraaortic lymph nodes bilaterally. In the cases with mostly stable prostheses small amounts of wear particles were found in the lymph nodes as soon as 1.5 years after insertion and their number increased in all groups of lymph nodes after longer duration of the implant. The phagocytosing histiocytes showed degenerative changes. At present it is not clear, if the cell damage is caused by the amount of phagocytosed wear particles alone or if specific toxic effects of certain substances are of importance.