A new pin-on-disk wear testing method for simulating wear of polyethylene on cobalt-chrome alloy in total hip arthroplasty

doi:10.1054/arth.2001.23718

The Journal of Arthroplasty

Volume 16, Issue 5, August 2001, Pages 658-665

https://doi.org/10.1054/arth.2001.23718 Get rights and content

Abstract

Abstract: Hip simulator studies show that the wear of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene against a cobalt alloy head depends on the wear path, especially the combination of a predominantly linear wear direction on which is superimposed motions in different directions. We postulated that multidirectional motion was necessary to generate realistic wear rates in pin-on-disk testing. To assess this hypothesis, a new pin-on-disk tester was developed, capable of unidirectional and bidirectional motion. Unidirectional motion produced no detectable wear. The rectangular motion produced wear rates, surface morphologies, and wear particles consistent with human acetabular specimens. The results for 1 Hz and 2 Hz were similar.

Section snippets

Materials and methods

A device was fabricated capable of producing either unidirectional reciprocating or rectangular motion of a polyethylene pin on cobalt-chrome alloy disk using an X-Y table (Parkers Systems, Rohnert Park, CA) fitted with 2 stepper motors rated for 2.7N-M of torque. The 2 motors were controlled independently by a Pentium Computer PC (AM Advantec, Sunnydale, CA) with 2 signal generator cards capable of 4 channels of output. The table was mounted on an MTS Bionix servohydraulic testing machine

Results

The bulk temperature of the bovine serum lubricant remained at approximately 25°C throughout the test period with a temperature fluctuation of ± 2°C. The weight of the pins subjected to unidirectional motion at 2 Hz showed a slight increase in weight during the test period, even after adjusting for the weight gain of the soak controls. The soak control specimens had an average weight gain after 2 weeks of 0.09 ± 0.02 mg. This weight gain resulted in a small negative average wear rate of −0.09 ±

Discussion

Prior pin-on-disk wear testing devices generally employed either unidirectional reciprocating motion or unidirectional rotating motion. Materials such as carbon-reinforced polyethylene 18, 19, polyacetal homopolymer (Delrin) 20, 21, and high-pressure crystallized polyethylene (Hylamer) ^[22] were introduced for use in THA based, in part, on such tests. Subsequent clinical experience with these materials has shown that no improvements in wear occurred in vivo; in some cases, such as hylamer 23, 24

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Additive manufacturing (AM) has proven to be a flexible technique to create complex designs layer-by-layer. Among others, this versatility has disabled the production of advanced total joint replacements. The high degree of customization offered by AM provides countless opportunities to empower the fabrication accuracy of complex biomaterial constructs to tailor patient-specific implants according to their morphology and pathology. In addition, AM offers interesting microarchitecture control of surfaces, which influences biotribological performances. Porosity is an inherent defect of AM-based metallic material and has been shown to affect mechanical performances such as tensile stress. Thus, in the context of bearing surfaces of artificial joints, this article aims to understand the physical behavior of AM-created cavities on the wear performance of polyethylene in a synovial-like environment with a multidirectional pin-on-disc machine at 37 °C.
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Citation Excerpt :
Fig. 1 (e)-(h) show PoD wear measurement configurations that allow creating multidirectional relative motion between the pin and the disc. Fig. 1 (e) depicts a stationary pin loaded onto a disc that reciprocates with velocities ux and uy in the x- and y-directions, respectively [6,37,40–62]. Furthermore, Fig. 1 (f) shows a pin reciprocating in the y-direction with velocity uy and loaded onto a disc reciprocating in the x-direction with velocity ux [63].
Pin-on-disc (PoD) experiments are widely used to quantify and rank wear of different material couples for prosthetic hip implant bearings. However, polyethylene wear results obtained from different PoD experiments are sometimes difficult to compare, which potentially leaves information inaccessible. We use machine learning methods to implement several data-driven models, and subsequently validate them by quantifying the prediction error with respect to published experimental data. A data-driven model can supplement results from PoD wear experiments, and enables predicting polyethylene wear of new PoD experiments based on its operating parameters. It also reveals the relative contribution of individual PoD operating parameters to the resulting polyethylene wear, thus informing design of experiments, and potentially reducing the need for time consuming PoD wear measurements.
Wear behaviour of UHMWPE reinforced by carbon nanofiller and paraffin oil for joint replacement
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The majority of artificial joints incorporate biomedical grade Ultra High Molecular Weight Poly Ethylene (UHMWPE), whose wear is considered most important in controlling service time of the whole joint. The aim of this work was to improve wear resistance of UHMWPE through the addition of 0.5–2.0 wt% of Carbon Nano Filler (CNF) and 2% wt of Paraffin Oil (PO) using ball milling (BM) and extrusion techniques (EX). The wear tests on these nanocomposites were conducted by a pin on disc in dry (air) and wet media (simulated synovial fluid or artificial lubricant, and bovine synovial fluid or natural lubricant). Mechanical tests (tensile and hardness), physical analysis (calorimetric, density, wet ability, roughness) and morphological observations were also performed. The experimental results showed that natural lubricant provides the greatest reduction in wear rate while the largest one occurred in air. Furthermore, the BM mixed nanocomposites with a filler load of 1.0% exhibited the best wear resistance among all the samples with an improvement of 42%, 64% and 83% in air, artificial and natural lubricant, respectively. This is due to its higher ductility and thermal features, and lower wet ability in the two lubricants.
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Oxidation of Total Joint Implants and Antioxidant Strategies: Designing Implants for Oxidative Stress Resistance
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As one of a few successful implantable medical devices, total joint implants are expected to function without deterioration for at least several decades in vivo. The polymeric components of total joint implants, made from medical grade ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene, are sensitive to oxidative stress during manufacturing, storage, and during the implant’s lifetime. In this chapter, we will briefly describe the inception and evolution of joint implants, their oxidation processes and strategies to protect them against oxidation and oxidative degradation.
Wear Assessment of UHMWPE with Pin-on-Disc Testing
2016, UHMWPE Biomaterials Handbook: Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene in Total Joint Replacement and Medical Devices: Third Edition
Screening of candidate materials by simple and affordable testing machines has been part of the development of orthopedic bearings since the 1970s. The promising candidates would then be tested in a joint simulator and in vivo testing of the most promising materials would follow. However, there is uncertainty about the capability of pin-on-disk (POD) testers to realistically simulate clinically relevant wear mechanisms with repeatability across different laboratories. We describe the factors, conditions, and potential pitfalls involved in the setup of POD testing for wear assessment of UHMWPE and provide a quick review and critique of the international standard testing methodologies of POD testing relevant to UHMWPE.

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^*: Funds were received in partial or total support of the research material described in this article from the William H. Harris Foundation, Boston, Massachusetts.

^**: Reprint requests: William H. Harris, MD, Jackson 1206, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114. E-mail: [email protected]

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Original ArticlesA new pin-on-disk wear testing method for simulating wear of polyethylene on cobalt-chrome alloy in total hip arthroplasty*,**

Abstract

Section snippets

Materials and methods

Results

Discussion

J Arthroplasty

J Arthroplasty

Wear

J Arthroplasty

Osteolysis and particle disease in hip replacement: a review

Acta Orthop Scand

The problem is osteolysis

J Biomed Mater Res

Wear of polyethylene components in total hip arthroplasty: an analysis of 128 components retrieved at autopsy or revision surgery

J Bone Joint Surg Am

Standard practice for reciprocating pin-on-flat evaluation of friction and wear properties of polymeric materials for use in total joint prostheses

ASTM

Wear characteristics of UHMW polyethylene: a method for accurately measuring extremely low wear rates

J Biomed Mat Res

Contact pressure dependence of wear rates of ultra high molecular weight polyethylene

J Biomed Mat Res

Tribological behavior of various materials and surfaces against polyethylene

The importance of multidirectional motion on the wear of polyethylene

Proc Inst Mech Eng

The origin of submicron polyethylene wear debris in total hip arthroplasty

Clin Orthop

Friction and molecular structure: the behavior of some thermoplastics

Proc R Soc Lond

Original Articles
A new pin-on-disk wear testing method for simulating wear of polyethylene on cobalt-chrome alloy in total hip arthroplasty*,**