The impact of surface and geometry on coefficient of friction of artificial hip joints

Choudhury D 1 , Vrbka M 2 , Mamat AB 3 , Stavness I 4 , Roy CK 4 , Mootanah R 5 Show all authors , Krupka I 2

Affiliations 

  • 1 Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USA; Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Brno University of Technology, Technicka 2896/2, 616 69 Brno, Czech Republic. Electronic address: dipankar.choudhury78@gmail.com
  • 2 Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Brno University of Technology, Technicka 2896/2, 616 69 Brno, Czech Republic; CEITEC-Central European Institute of Technology, Brno University of Technology, Technicka 3058/10, 616 00 Brno, Czech Republic
  • 3 Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
  • 4 Department of Computer Science, University of Saskatchewan, 176 Thorvaldson Building, 110 Science Place, Saskatoon, SK, Canada S7N 5C9
  • 5 Faculty of Science and Technology, Anglia Ruskin University, Chelmsford, Essex CM1 1SQ, UK
J Mech Behav Biomed Mater, 2017 08;72:192-199.
PMID: 28500998 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmbbm.2017.05.011

Abstract

Coefficient of friction (COF) tests were conducted on 28-mm and 36-mm-diameter hip joint prostheses for four different material combinations, with or without the presence of Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene (UHMWPE) particles using a novel pendulum hip simulator. The effects of three micro dimpled arrays on femoral head against a polyethylene and a metallic cup were also investigated. Clearance played a vital role in the COF of ceramic on polyethylene and ceramic on ceramic artificial hip joints. Micro dimpled metallic femoral heads yielded higher COF against a polyethylene cup; however, with metal on metal prostheses the dimpled arrays significantly reduced the COF. In situ images revealed evidence that the dimple arrays enhanced film formation, which was the main mechanism that contributed to reduced friction.

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

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