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

Dipankar Choudhury; Martin Vrbka; Azuddin Bin Mamat; Ian Stavness; Chanchal K Roy; Rajshree Mootanah; Ivan Krupka

doi:10.1016/j.jmbbm.2017.05.011

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

J Mech Behav Biomed Mater. 2017 Aug:72:192-199. doi: 10.1016/j.jmbbm.2017.05.011. Epub 2017 May 6.

Authors

Dipankar Choudhury¹, Martin Vrbka², Azuddin Bin Mamat³, Ian Stavness⁴, Chanchal K Roy⁴, Rajshree Mootanah⁵, Ivan Krupka²

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.

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.

Keywords: Coefficient of friction; Hip joint prosthesis; Lubrication film formation; Size and clearance; micro dimple.

MeSH terms

Bone-Implant Interface
Ceramics / analysis*
Friction*
Hip Joint
Hip Prosthesis*
Humans
Materials Testing*
Metal-on-Metal Joint Prostheses
Polyethylenes / analysis*

Substances

Polyethylenes