This study aims to assess the changes in mechanical behaviour over time in ‘haemarthritic’ articular cartilage compared to ‘healthy’ articular cartilage. Pin-on-plate and indentation tests were used to determine the coefficient of friction (COF) and deformation of ‘healthy’ and ‘haemarthritic articular cartilage. Osteochondral pins (8 mm) were extracted from porcine tali and immersed in exposure fluid for two hours prior to test. Pins were articulated against a larger bovine femoral plate for 3600 seconds under a load of 50 N. Osteochondral pins (8 mm) were loaded during indentation testing for 3600 seconds under a load of 0.25 N. To mimic the effect of a joint bleed in vitro; serum, whole blood and 50% v/v were used as exposure and lubricant fluids. COF and deformation were expressed as mean (n=3) and statistically analysed using a one-way ANOVA and post-hoc Tukey test (p>0.05). The serum condition yielded a COF of 0.0428 ± 0.02 with 0.08mm ± 0.04 deformation. The 50% v/v condition produced a higher COF of 0.0485 ± 0.02 and 0.21mm ± 0.04 deformation. The lowest COF and deformation were produced by the whole blood condition (0.0292 ± 0.02 and 0.06mm ± 0.006 respectively). Statistical analysis indicated no significant difference across the friction test conditions but a significant difference across all indentation test conditions (ANOVA, p>0.05). Combination of creep deformation and wear was observed on the articular surface up to 24 hours post-test in 50% v/v and whole blood conditions. The average haemophilia patient can experience multiple joint bleeds per year of which this study demonstrates the effect of just one joint bleed. This study has provided evidence of potential reversible and irreversible mechanical changes to articular cartilage surface during a joint bleed

Introduction and Aims. A recent submission to ASTM, WK28778 entitled “Standard test method for determination of friction torque and friction factor for hip implants using an anatomical motion hip simulator”, describes a proposal for determining the friction factor of hip implant devices. Determination of a friction factor in an implant bearing couple using a full kinematic walking cycle as described in ISO14242-1 may offer designers and engineers valuable input to improve wear characteristics, minimize torque and improve long term performance of hip implants. The aim of this study was to investigate differences in friction factors between two commercially available polyethylene materials using the procedure proposed. Methods. Two polyethylene acetabular liner material test groups were chosen for this study: commercially available Marathon. ®. (A) and AltrX. ®. (B). All liners were machined to current production specifications with an inner diameter of 36mm and an outer diameter of 56mm. Surface roughness (Ra) of the liner inner diameters were measured using contact profilometry in the head-liner contact area, before and after 3Mcyc of wear testing. Liners were soaked in bovine serum for 48 hours prior to testing. Friction factor measurements were taken per ASTM WK28778 prior to, and after wear testing using an external six degrees of freedom load cell (ATI Industrial Automation) and a reduced maximum vertical load of 1900N. Friction factor and wear testing was conducted in bovine serum (18mg/mL total protein concentration) supplemented with 0.056% sodium azide (preservative) and 5.56mM EDTA (calcium stabilizer) on a 12-station AMTI (Watertown, MA) ADL hip simulator with load soak controls per ISO 14242-1:2014(E). The liners were removed from the machine, cleaned and gravimetric wear determined per ISO 14242-2:2000(E) every 0.5 million cycles (MCyc) through a total of 3Mcyc to evaluate wear. Results. It was observed that although measured wear rates were significantly different between the Marathon. ®. (10.3 ± 2.2mg/Mcyc) and AltrX. ®. (1.7 ± 0.2mg/Mcyc) test groups, the measured friction factors were not significantly different between groups; 0.094 ± 0.015 Marathon. ®. and 0.095 ± 0.007 AltrX. ®. pre wear, and 0.103 ± 0.001 Marathon. ®. and 0.106 ± 0.006 AltrX. ®. post wear. The increase in friction factor observed following wear in of the polyethylene liners is expected. Average friction factors were calculated from data measured in the region from heel strike through toe-off of the gait cycle (the 1. st. 60% of the kinematics cycle described in ISO 14242). It is observed that the resultant friction curves for untested bearing couples had a larger spread across the 4 measured samples than those following 3Mcyc of standard wear, most likely due to variations in polyethylene roughness, contact area and clearances between the bearing couples in the as received state. Conclusions. It is concluded from this study that the draft ASTM protocol proposed is capable of measuring frictional effects in MoP hip bearing couples, and for the polyethylene materials tested herein there is no significant difference between the average measured friction factors when all other parameters (i.e. design and gait cycle) are controlled

School of Mechanical Engineering, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK. This study investigated the effects on friction of changing the dimensions of a ball-and-socket Total Disc Arthroplasty (TDA). A generic ball-and-socket model was designed and manufactured based on the dimensions and geometry of a metal-on-metal Maverick (Medtronic, Minneapolis, USA) device. Keeping the radial clearance similar to the Maverick, the ball and socket dimensions varied between 10 to 16 mm and 10.015 to 16.015 mm, respectively, in order to enable the comparison between different dimensions. The implants were made out of Cobalt Chrome Molybdenum alloy, with a surface roughness of 0.05 μm. A Bose spine simulator (Bose Corporation, ElectroForce Systems Group, Minnesota, USA) was used to apply an axial compressive force to the TDA. Axial rotation of ±2° was then applied at various frequencies and the resulting frictional torque measured. The tests were performed under an axial load of 50, 600 and 1200 N and frequencies of 0.5, 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0 Hz, for four different samples of radii 10, 12, 14 and 16 mm (48 combinations in total). The results showed variation of frictional torque in different frequencies for all four samples under constant axial load. It was observed that the frictional torque had the lowest value for the implant with ball radius of 16mm. It might be concluded that the implant with larger ball radius may create less friction and hence offer a longer life

To improve the longevity of total hip replacements (THR), it is necessary to prevent wear of the ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) bearing, as wear debris can cause osteolysis and aseptic loosening. Highly cross-linked UHMWPE reduces wear, sometimes stabilized with vitamin E to preserve its mechanical properties and prevent oxidative degeneration. An extra novel solution has been grafting the surface of UHMWPE with poly(2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine) (PMPC). This treatment uses a hydrophilic (wettable) phospholipid polymer to improve lubrication and reduce friction and wear of the bearing material. We set out to test the wear and friction of ceramic-on-polyethylene (COP) THRs that had the PMPC surface treatment, or left untreated for control. Four groups of UHMWPE bearings were tested against identical 40mm ceramic heads (zirconia-toughened alumina). The UHMWPE bearings were highly cross-linked with/without vitamin E (HXL Vit. E: 125 kGy radiation dose / HXL: 75 kGy). In each group, half underwent the PMPC treatment (n = 3 for all four groups). Testing was conducted on an AMTI hip simulator for 10 million walking cycles of ISO-14242-1, at 1 Hz, with diluted bovine serum (30 g/L protein concentration) as lubricant, at 37ºC, and with fluid absorption errors corrected with active soak controls. Using a previously published method, frictional torques and a frictional factor around three orthogonal axes about the femoral head were measured/computed, by data processing of the measurements of a 6-DOF load cell on each station of the hip simulator. Such friction measurements and stops for specimen weighing were carried out at regular intervals throughout the wear test. The HXL liners without and with the PMPC treatment wore at 5.86±0.402 mg/Mc and 1.70±1.36 mg/Mc, respectively (p=0.013) (Fig. 1). The HXL Vit. E liners without and with the PMPC treatment wore at 2.14±0.269 mg/Mc and 0.736±0.750 mg/Mc, respectively (p=0.035). The wear rates of the untreated HXL and HXL Vit. E liners were significantly different (p=0.0002) but no difference in wear rate was found between the two PMPC treated groups (p=0.179), although, as mentioned above, the PMPC treatment very significantly reduced wear in each case. The ceramic femoral heads showed little wear (weight loss) themselves. In general, the THRs showed decreasing friction over the 10 Mc, with the PMPC types showing a slight increase in friction towards the end of the test (Fig. 2). PMPC HXL liners showed the lowest friction factor (0.022±0.001) which was significantly lower (p<0.001) than the friction of the untreated liners (0.028±0.002) (Fig. 3). The PMPC HXL Vit. E liners showed lower friction factors than the untreated HXL Vit. E liners (0.034±0.002, 0.036±0.004, respectively), although this difference was not significant (p=0.116). Overall, the liners with the PMPC treatment displayed statistically significantly lower friction factors (p=0.003) than those untreated. The coincidence of some reduction of surface friction with larger wear reduction obviously suggests some but not necessarily full causality. PMPC successfully reduced both the friction and the wear in these COP THRs during this extended 10 Mc test. This likely would translate to improved implant longevity in patients. For any figures or tables, please contact authors directly (see Info & Metrics tab above).

Introduction: Cementless cup designs in metal-on-metal (MoM) hip resurfacing devices generally depend on a good primary press-fit fixation which stabilises the components in the early post-operative period. Pressfitting the cup into the acetabulum generates non-uniform compressive stresses on the cup and consequently causes non-uniform cup deformation. That in turn may result in equatorial contact, high frictional torque and femoral head seizure. It has been reported that high frictional torque has the potential to generate micromotion between the implant and its surrounding bone and as a result adversely affect the longevity of the implant. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of cup deformation on friction between the articulating surfaces in MoM bearings with various clearances. Materials and methods: Six Birmingham Hip Resurfacing (BHR) devices with various clearances (80 to 306 μm) were tested in a hip friction simulator to determine the friction between the bearing surfaces. The components were tested in clotted blood which is the primary lubricant during the early post-operative period. The joints were friction tested initially in their pristine conditions and subsequently the cups were deflected by 25– 35 μm using two points pinching action before further friction tests were carried out. Results and Discussions: It has been reported that reduced clearance results in reduced friction. However, none of the previous studies have taken cup deflection into consideration nor have they used physiologically relevant lubricant. The results presented in this study show that for the reduced clearance components, friction was significantly increased when the cups were deflected by only 30 μm. However, for the components with higher clearance the friction did not change before and after deflection. It is postulated that the larger clearances can accommodate for the amount of distortion introduced to the cups in this study

Friction was studied in 67 retrieved cemented cups with 32 mm internal diameter. Friction was measured under 1.0 KN of static load. High molecular hyaluronic acid was adapted as a lubricant. Thirty cups were combined with alumina heads and 37 were combined with metal heads. The years cups were in situ was 7.5 (3.2–13.2) for alumina-polyethylene implants and 8.9 (1.5–15.7) for metal-polyethylene implants (p> 0.05). The revision rate at 15 years follow-up was higher in metal-polyethylene (PE) implants (57%) than that of alumina-PE implants (40%) (p< 0.05). The prevalence of cup loosening was less in alumina-PE implants (12/30) than in metal-PE implants (29/37) (p< 0.01). Less wear was observed in alumina-PE implants (1.15+−0,80mm) than in metal-PE implants (1.62+−0.61mm) (p< 0.01). Less wear was observed in cups without loosening (alumina-PE implants: 1.84+−0.57mm, metal-PE implants: 1.75+−0.51mm) than in those with loosening (alumina-PE implants: 0.69+−0.56mm, metal-PE implants: 1.31+−0.73mm) in both types (alumina-PE implants: p< 0.01, metal-PE implants: p< 0.05). Less wear rate was observed in cups without loosening (alumina-PE implants: 0.11+−0.05 mm/year, metal-PE implants: 0.14+−0.05mm/year) than in those with loosening (alumina-PE implants: 0.17+−0.03 mm/year, metal-PE implants: 0.22+−0.09mm/year) in both types (alumina-PE implants: p< 0.01, metal-PE implants: p< 0.05). The coefficient of friction increased in proportion to the progress of cup wear in both types (alumina-PE implants: r2 =0.217, p< 0.01, metal-PE implants: r2 =0.183, p< 0.01). Relation between the coefficient of friction and stability of implants was not detected in both types, while alumina-PE implants had lower coefficient of friction (0.137+-0.056) than metal-PE implants (0.209+−0.098) (p< 0.01). The torque of metal-PE implants without stem loosening (0.137+−0.053) was larger than that of alumina-PE implants with stem loosening (0.274+−0.088) (p< 0.01). The results suggest that wear has greater influence on stability of implants than the friction, whereas coefficient of friction increases in worn implants

Paratenonitis describes inflammation of the paratenon and commonly presents as an overuse injury. The paratenon is the connective tissue sheath that surrounds tendons - including tendo Achilles, and serves to minimise friction with the outer layer of the tendon, the epitenon. Whilst this conjunction allows the tendon to glide smoothly on muscular contraction, the presentation of paratenonitis typically follows periods of frequent, repetitive musculoskeletal movements; hence, paratenonitis commonly afflicts the elite and, albeit to a lesser extent, amateur athlete. The extent to which friction at the epitenon-paratenon juncture contributes to this tendinopathy remains unclear, and this study is therefore concerned with the coefficient of friction and the lubrication regime. By using a specially designed and validated apparatus, the in vivo paratenon-epitenon conjunction was approximated using bovine flexor tendon paratenon and a glass disc; this is being an equivalent experimental set-up to that used in other studies exploring soft tissue contacts. Bovine synovial fluid was used to lubricate the conjunction at 37 deg C, and the frictional characteristics were analysed over a range of sliding speeds and loads. The coefficient of friction was found to generally lie between 0.1 – 0.01. This range suggests that a system of mixed lubrication applies - where the synovial fluid is causing partial separation of the two surfaces. However, when the data is plotted in the form of a Stribeck curve, the trend suggests that boundary lubrication prevails - where lubrication is determined by surface-bound proteins. The coefficient of friction at the epitenon-paratenon interface appears to be approximately one order of magnitude greater than that typically reported within the healthy synovial joint. Additionally, the synovial joint is thought to exhibit some fluid film lubrication (i.e. total surface separation), whereas the epitenon-paratenon lubrication regime appears to vary only between the inferior mixed and boundary systems - depending on the specific biomechanical conditions. This data would suggest that the coefficient of friction at the epitenon-paratenon interface is relatively high and thus is potentially significant in the incidence of paratenonitis. Such a hypothesis could be of particular interest to sports-medicine and orthopaedic specialists

Introduction. Modularity allows surgeons to use femoral heads of various materials, diameters and offsets to achieve the best possible outcome, nevertheless the fretting corrosion behaviour of modular junctions can be significantly affected. The aim of this study was to assess physiological friction moment and lubrication ratio in order to compare various tribological materials against different bearing sizes. This data is important as lubrication will affect the friction, wear and torque generated which may lead directly to the production of debris or to enhanced corrosion at modular junctions. Materials and methods. Hip joints were tested in lubricant condition on a hip simulator following the ISO14242-3 configuration. Three samples for each combinations were examined: 1) 36mm metal-on-metal made in CoCrMo 2) 36mm ceramic-on-ceramic made in ZTA 3) 58mm resurfacing metal-on-metal made in CoCrMo 4) 57mm resurfacing ceramic-on-ceramic made in ZTA. Preconditioning and dynamic loading steps were spaced out by rest periods (Fig. 1) and the entire series was repeated three times for each combination. Strains were measured on the Ti6Al4V neck's femoral stem with three couples of biaxial strain gauges and were converted into friction moments by means of analytical formulas. Mean maximum moment M and lubrication ratio λ were calculated. M. START-UP. and M. TURN-OFF. were respectively the first three and last three peak moment sampled for each consecutive step. Results. Fig. 2 reports the obtained results. It can be observed that MoM large bearings showed a mean maximum friction moment lower than MoM smaller bearings (p=0,001), whereas no effect of bearing diameter on friction moment was observed for CoC (p=0,162). There is no statistically significant difference on friction moment between Ø57mm ceramic-on-ceramic resurfacing bearing and Ø58mm metal-on-metal resurfacing (p=0,805). However the CoC Ø36 friction moment was significantly lower than with MoM Ø36 (p=0,001). The calculated lubrication ratio λ gave information on lubrication regime: in the case of standard bearings mixed lubrication (1≤λ≤3) occurred, while resurfacing bearings were in full film lubrication (λ>3). Correlating lubrication ratio λ with M. START-UP. and M. TURN-OFF. (Fig. 2) it can be observed that the peak friction moment increased during the dynamic step for bearing in mixed lubrication, while a decrease was observed for bearing in full film lubrication. The breaking point cycle between downward and flat peak friction moment trend decreased more than half with longer dynamic steps (Fig. 3), leading to a stable maximum friction moment. Discussion. Ceramic bearing friction moment monotonically increased with bearing diameter, this trend being not observed on metal couplings because the tested standard diameter was in mixed lubrication lower limit. Mixed lubrication regime energized the bearing by increasing the friction moment during the dynamic step such as a self-powered system, on the other side full film lubrication reduced friction moment to a lower asymptote, such as a self-stabilized system. Conclusion. Modern ceramic hip resurfacing was designed in full film lubrication and its friction moment was equivalent to metal-on-metal hip resurfacing. Modern ceramic resurfacing may reduce fretting corrosion compared to traditional metal resurfacing while keeping the same biomechanical advantages. For figures/tables, please contact authors directly.

Aim: Lower friction in metal on metal (MOM) hip joints can reduce the wear, production of metal ions and loosening of acetabular cups. The effect of the fluid viscosity on the friction, especially in the relation to the physiological range, is still not fully investigated. The aim of this paper was to study the frictional behaviour of MOM hip joint within the human physiological fluid viscosities. Materials and Methods: Friction measurement was carried out using a friction simulator on CoCrMo hip prostheses of 50 mm diameter with 100 and 200 micron diametral clearances. The samples were taken from a wear simulator test at 1.4, 2.3 and 3.2 million cycles. A dynamic loading of 100–2000N was applied to the femoral head with a movement of 1 Hz and +/−23 degree amplitude. Tests were performed using 25% new born calf serum which consisted of different ratios of serum and carboxymethyl cellulose with viscosities ranged from 0.0011 to 1.1 Pa s determined by a viscometer at a shear rate of 300/s. Results: The friction of both clearances reduced with the progress of wear. In the lower range of viscosity, the friction of 100 micron clearance was lower than that of 200 micron clearance. However, when the viscosity reached the range of 0.01–0.06 Pa s, the friction of 100 micron clearance surpassed that of 200 micron clearance and this difference became wider with the increase of viscosity. During one measurement, the curves of 100 micron clearance started from low friction (≈0.05), but increased rapidly for all viscosities except the lowest of 0.001 Pa s. For the 200 micron clearance, the curves were stabilized when the viscosity was below 0.36 Pa s and low friction was observed as the viscosity increased. The friction started to increase only from 0.36 Pa s, but the gradient was less stiff compared to that of 100 micron clearance. Discussion: Normal synovial fluid is non-Newtonian in nature with shear-rate dependent viscosity. Researchers have reported 300/s shear rate viscosities for normal, osteoarthritis, and inflammatory synovial fluids as 0.010.4, 0.0025–0.2 and 0.001–0.07 Pa s respectively. In this study, the 200 micron clearance had lower friction than that of 100 micron clearance in the majority of physiological viscosity range. Theoretical studies have suggested that smaller clearance and higher viscosity can benefit the lubrication in MOM bearings. However, this theory is valid if continuous and complete lubrication film is achieved. Small clearance and high viscosity may prevent the recovery of lubricant between cycles and cause depletion of lubricant, which can lead to direct contact of bearings and increase of friction. It is therefore concluded that the selection of clearance for MOM components should consider the human physiological fluid viscosities so that an optimal tribological performance can be achieved

The design of the Charnley total hip replacement follows the principle of low frictional torque. It is based on the largest possible difference between the radius of the femoral head and that of the outer aspect of the acetabular component. The aim is to protect the bone-cement interface by movement taking place at the smaller radius, the articulation. This is achieved in clinical practice by a 22.225 mm diameter head articulating with a 40 mm or 43 mm diameter acetabular component of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene. We compared the incidence of aseptic loosening of acetabular components with an outer diameter of 40 mm and 43 mm at comparable depths of penetration with a mean follow-up of 17 years (1 to 40). In cases with no measurable wear none of the acetabular components were loose. With increasing acetabular penetration there was an increased incidence of aseptic loosening which reflected the difference in the external radii, with 1.5% at 1 mm, 8.8% at 2 mm, 9.7% at 3 mm and 9.6% at 4 mm of penetration in favour of the larger 43 mm acetabular component. Our findings support the Charnley principle of low frictional torque. The level of the benefit is in keeping with the predicted values

We carried out lacerations of 50%, followed by trimming, in ten turkey flexor tendons in vitro and measured the coefficient of friction at the tendon-pulley interface with loads of 200 g and 400 g and in 10°, 30°, 50° and 70° of flexion. Laceration increased the coefficient of friction from 0.12 for the intact tendon to 0.3 at both the test loads. Trimming the laceration reduced the coefficient of friction to 0.2. An exponential increase in the gliding resistance was found at 50° and 70° of flexion (p = 0.02 and p = 0.003, respectively) following trimming compared to that of the intact tendon. We concluded that trimming partially lacerated flexor tendons will reduce the gliding resistance at the tendon-pulley interface, but will lead to fragmentation and triggering of the tendon at higher degrees of flexion and loading. We recommend that higher degrees of flexion be avoided during early post-operative rehabilitation following trimming of a flexor tendon

Introduction: modern cementless joints depend on bony ingrowth for durable long term fixation. Increased friction and micromotion in the early weeks can prevent ingrowth and affect long-term success. Most friction studies are conducted in a bovine serum- carboxymethylcellulose (bs-cmc) medium. Following implantation however, the joint is bathed in blood which contains macromolecules and cells. The effect of these on friction is not fully understood. A progressive radiolucent line (fig 1) observed in some low clearance resurfacings raises the concern that increased friction may be affecting component fixation. The purpose of this investigation was to study the effect of clearance on friction for a given bearing diameter in the presence of blood as lubricant. Methods: Six Birmingham Hip Resurfacing devices with a nominal diameter of 50mm each and a range of diametral clearances (80, 135, 175, 200, 243 and 306μm) were used. Frictional measurements were carried out on a Prosim Hip Friction Simulator (Simsol Simulation Solutions, Stockport, UK). The test was conducted sequentially with whole blood (viscosity 0.009Pas) and a BS-CMC mixture as the lubricants (viscosity 0.01Pas). Results: Low clearance devices (80–175μm) generated higher friction with blood than with BS-CMC (fig 2). With blood as the lubricant, low clearance devices generated much higher friction than higher clearance devices (200–306μm). Discussion: Ongoing research into the in vitro performance of bearings is performed in hip simulators with lubricants that are believed to simulate joint fluid in terms of viscosity. However these lubricants are unable to simulate the friction effects of macromolecules. The results of this study suggest that reduced clearance bearings have the potential to generate higher friction when blood is the lubricant. this higher friction in the low clearance bearings may produce micromotion in the early postoperative period and hamper bony ingrowth resulting in impaired fixation with long-term implications for survival

Spinal total disc replacement (TDR) designs rely heavily on total hip replacement (THR) technology and it is therefore prudent to check that typical TDR devices have acceptable friction and torque behaviour. For spherical devices friction factor (f) is used in place of friction coefficient (mju). The range of loading for the lumbar spinal discs is estimated at perhaps 3 times body weight (BW) for normal activity rising to up to 6 times BW for strenuous activity. [1]. For walking this equates to around 2000 N, which is the maximum load required by the ISO standard for TDR wear testing. [2]. . Three Prodisc-L TDR devices (Synthes Spine) were tested in a single station friction simulator. Bovine serum diluted to 25% was used as a lubricating medium. Flexion-extension was ±5 deg for all experiments with constant axial loading of 500, 2000 and 3000 N. The cycle run length was limited to 100 and the f and torque (T) values recorded around the maximum velocity of the cycle point and averaged over multiple cycles. Preliminary results shows that the 500 N loading produced the largest f of 0.05 ± 0.004. The 2000 N load, which approximates daily activity, gave f = 0.036 ± 0.05 and the 3000 N load gave f = 0.013 ± 0.003. The trend was for lower f with increasing loads. A lumbar TDR friction factor of 0.036 for a 2000N load and the reduction in f for increasing loads is comparable to the lower end of the range of values reported for THR in similar simulator studies using metal-on-polyethylene bearing materials. [3]. The 3000 N result showing that increasing the load above that expected in daily activity does not raise the f could be important when considering rotational stability and anchorage in a TDR device because frictional torque at the bearing surfaces is proportional to the product of load, device radius and f

Poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) hydrogel with high water content is one of the potential materials for artificial cartilage. In the previous study, the wear behavior of PVA hydrogel prepared by freeze-thawing (FT) method (PVA-FT gel) showed the excellent friction and wear property in simulated biological environment. However, the improvement of mechanical strength and wear resistance would be also needed for clinical application of PVA hydrogel as artificial cartilage. The different kind of physically-crosslinked PVA hydrogels prepared by cast-drying (CD) method (PVA-CD gel) and hybrid method of FT and CD (PVA-CD on FT hybrid gel) were also developed, and these two hydrogels have different mechanical properties and showed low friction compared with PVA-FT gel in saline. In this study, PVA hydrogel prepared by CD and hybrid methods were newly developed and friction and wear behavior of PVA-CD gel and PVA-CD on FT hybrid gel were evaluated in simulated biological environment. A sliding pair of an ellipsoidal reciprocating upper specimen of hydrogel and a flat stationary lower specimen of hydrogel was tested in reciprocating friction test. The thicknesses of PVA-CD gel and PVA-CD on FT hybrid gel were 2.0mm and 1.7mm, respectively. The applied load was 2.94 N. The sliding velocity was 20 mm/s and the total sliding distance was 1.5 km. In this study, solutions that contain hyaluronic acid, phospholipid and proteins were prepared as simulated synovial fluid and used as a lubricant for friction test. Molecular weight of sodium hyaluronate was 9.2×10. 5. L-alpha dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) was selected as phospholipid constituent and was dispersed in saline as liposome. This liposomal solution was used as a base lubricant. Albumin and gamma-globulin, which are main protein constituents in natural synovial fluid, were used as additives as protein constituents. As shown in Fig.1, PVA-CD gel showed low friction such as below 0.02 at initial state of friction test. However, friction coefficient of PVA-CD gel rapidly increased and reached to about 0.5. In contrast, PVA-CD on FT hybrid gel kept low friction within the friction test. After friction test, many deep scratches were observed on the worn surface of PVA-CD gel (Figs. 2(a)-(c)). In contrast, the original surface structure of PVA-CD on FT hybrid gel almost remained while some scratches were observed (Figs. 2(d)-(f)). These results indicated that PVA-CD gel could show low friction but low wear resistance. The hybridization of FT and CD improved the wear resistance of PVA-CD gel. Therefore, the hybridization of FT and CD method is one of the prospective preparation methods of artificial cartilage with low friction and low wear. It is important to elucidate the mechanism of excellent lubricating property of PVA-CD on FT hybrid gel and develop the highly-functioned artificial hydrogel cartilage with low friction and high wear resistance

Large diameter metal-on-metal (MOM) bearings are becoming increasingly popular for young, active patients. Clearance is a particularly important consideration for designing MOM implants, considering historical experience of equatorial contact and high frictional torque. Lubrication theory predicts increasing the clearance will result in diminished lubrication, resulting in increased friction and wear. Clinical cases of transient squeaking in patients with resurfacing bearings have been noted in recent years, with some reporting an incidence of up to 10% between 6 months and 2 years post-implantation. This study aimed to investigate the impact of increasing clearance on the lubrication, friction and squeaking of a large diameter metal-on-metal resurfacing bearing through frictional studies. Clinical-grade MOM implants of 55mm diameter and 100μm diametric clearance, and custom-made, 55mm bearings with diametric clearances of approximately 50μm and 200μm (DePuy International Ltd) were tested in a friction simulator. Components were inverted with a flexion-extension of ±25o applied to the head and lubricated with 25% and 100% newborn bovine serum. A peak load of 2kN, with swing-phase loads of 25N, 100N and 300N were applied. Sound data was recorded during each friction test using a MP3 recorder and pre-amplifier. A microphone was set up at a distance of 50mm from the implant, and data recorded over a minimum of 10 seconds where sound was generated. Sound data was assessed through narrow band analysis on Frequency Master software (Cirrus Research, UK). Lubrication was assessed by directly measuring the separation between the head and cup during the test cycle by ultrasonic methods (Tribosonics, UK). An ultrasound sensor was bonded to the back of the cup and reflection measurements were taken during the friction tests with a sampling rate of 100Hz. Using equations which related reflection coefficient to lubricant properties and thickness, values for the film thickness were calculated. The surface replacement with the largest clearance yielded the highest friction factor for each test condition. The difference between the large clearance bearing and the smaller clearance samples was statistically significant in 25% bovine serum, the more clinically relevant lubricant (ANOVA, p< 0.05). The 50μm clearance group yielded similar results to the 100μm clearance bearing, although a slight increase in friction was observed. Squeaking occurred during every test in the large clearance group. There was a reduced incidence of squeaking in the smaller clearances, with the lowest incidence observed in the 100μm clearance group. The smallest separation of the head and cup was observed within the large clearance bearings. The best lubrication condition measured ultrasonically was observed within the 100μm clearance bearing. There appeared to be good correlation between friction, lubrication and the incidence of squeaking. This study suggests a large diametric clearance results in reduced lubrication, increased friction and an increased incidence of squeaking. However, there is a minimum diametric clearance that can be tolerated, as clearance must accommodate the manufacturing tolerance

In joint prostheses where ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) is used as bearing material, efficacious treatments such as crosslinking, addition of vitamin E and the grafting of phospholipid polymer are known to improve wear resistance. Under severe conditions of various daily activities, however, friction and wear problems in such prostheses have not yet been completely solved. In contrast, extremely low friction and minimum wear have been maintained for a lifetime in healthy natural synovial joints containing articular cartilage with superior lubricity. Accordingly, joint prostheses containing artificial hydrogel cartilage with properties similar to those of articular cartilage are expected to show superior tribological functions. In establishing the function of artificial hydrogel cartilage as a novel material for joint prostheses, the tribological properties of hydrogel materials used and synergistic performance with synovia constituents are both important. In this study, the influence of synovia constituents on friction and wear in artificial hydrogels was examined in reciprocating test and compared with that for articular cartilage. As biocompatible artificial hydrogel cartilage materials, three poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) hydrogels were prepared using the repeated freeze-thawing (FT) method, the cast-drying (CD) method and hybrid method for CD on FT, which are physically crosslinked with hydrogen bonding but differ in terms of structure and mechanical properties. First the frictional behavior of the PVA hydrogels and articular cartilage as ellipsoidal specimens was examined in reciprocating tests against a glass plate with a sliding speed of 20 mm/s under constant continuous loading. As shown in Fig.1, the three hydrogels exhibited different frictional behaviors in a saline solution. It is noteworthy that the hybrid gel maintained very low friction until the end of test. The CD gel showed slightly higher friction and a gradual increase. Meanwhile, the FT gel showed initial medium friction and a gradual increase echoing the time-dependent behavior of natural articular cartilage. Based on these observations, focus was placed on FT gel and articular cartilage to examine how synovia constituents influence friction and wear in these hydrogel materials. In human body, lubricating constituents in synovial fluids such as hyaluronic acid, proteins, glycoproteins and phospholipids are considered to reduce the coefficient of friction in solid-to-solid interaction. Here, the effects of hyaluronic acid (HA, molecular weight: 9.2×10. 5. ), serum proteins and phospholipid were examined. Dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) was used as a typical phospholipid. As indicated in Fig.2 for repeated reciprocating tests, addition of HA alone was effective particularly for PVA-FT hydrogel. The combination of HA and DPPC was more effective in reduction of friction. The simulated synovial fluid (composed of HA 0.5 wt%, DPPC 0.01 wt%, albumin(Alb) 1.4 wt% and gamma-globulin (g-glob) 0.7 wt%) exhibited both low friction and minimum wear. The rubbing surfaces of articular cartilage and FT gel after tests are shown in Fig.3. On the articular cartilage surface, gel-like surface layer existed. On the FT gel surface, the original texture was observed without damage. These results indicate the importance of synovia constituents for the clinical application of artificial hydrogel cartilage in joint prostheses

Introduction: Based on the clinical success of large head metal-on-metal (MoM) bearings technologies in the resurfacing arena, a multi-bearing acetabular system, known as R3 system, was developed by Smith & Nephew. The novel R3 system utilizes porous coated Ti-6-4 shells in which liners of crosslinked UHMWPE, ceramic, or as-cast CoCr liners can be placed. The as-cast CoCr metallurgy and microstructure is identical to the clinically successful Birmingham Hip Replacement (BHR) resurfacing system. The design and manufacturing aspects such as diametrical clearance, surface roughness, and spherical form are all identical for the two systems. Aim: to evaluate the tribological performance of R3 devices as compared to that of standard BHR devices. Materials and Methods: Five pairs of 46 mm MoM R3 devices (Smith & Nephew) and three pairs of 48 mm BHR devices (Smith & Nephew) were tested in a ProSim hip wear Simulator. The lubricant was new born calf serum with 0.2% sodium azide diluted with de-ionized water to achieve protein concentration of 20 g/l. The flexion/extension was 30° and 15° and the internal/external rotation was +/− 10°. The force was Paul-type stance phase loading with a maximum load of 3 kN and a standard ISO swing phase load of 0.3 kN. The frequency was 1 Hz. One R3 joint and one BHR device were friction tested in a ProSim hip friction simulator at 0, 3 and 5 million cycles of wear testing. The test was conducted in new born calf serum with added carboxy methyl cellulose (CMC) to generate viscosities of 1 to 100 cP. The loading cycle was set at maximum loads of 2 kN and minimum load of 0.1 kN. The flexion/extension was 30° and 15°, and the frequency was 1 Hz. Results and Discussions:. Friction: The coefficient of friction (COF) of the R3 joint varied from 0.08 to 0.14 depending on the viscosity of the serum and cycles of wear simulation test. Under physiologically relevant lubricant conditions (1, 3 and 10 cP), the COF for the R3 device tested was comparable to that of the standard BHR device. Wear: The R3 devices generated typical characteristics of wear to the BHR devices, with a higher wear rate during the initial running in period (0 – 0.5 Mc) followed by a low steady state wear rate after 0.5 Mc. The average wear rate at 0.5 Mc was 1.86 mm3/Mc for the R3 and 1.80 mm3/Mc for the BHR devices. The wear rate during the steady state for the R3 and the BHR devices was reduced to 0.09 mm3/Mc and 0.12 mm3/Mc respectively. The difference in average wear rates between the BHR and R3 devices during the running in and steady states were not statistically significant (p > 0.05). Conclusion: The test results presented in this study show that the tribological performances of the R3 and the BHR devices are comparable

ABSTRACT. The friction and lubrication behaviour of four Biomet ReCap components with a nominal diameter of 52 mm and diametral clearance ranging from 167-178 μm were investigated using a friction hip simulator. Friction testing was carried out using pure bovine serum and aqueous solutions of bovine serum (BS), with and without carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), adjusted to a range of viscosities (0.001-0.236 Pas). The Stribeck analyses suggested mixed lubrication as the dominant mode with the lowest friction factor of 0.07 at a viscosity of 0.04 Pas. INTRODUCTION. The femoral resurfacing systems provide an alternative to hemi and total hip arthroplasty and offer several unique advantages including large resurfacing heads (>35–60 mm diameter) allowing increased range of motion (and stability) over the traditional 28 mm artificial hip joints, with excellent tolerances and surface finish leading to a reduction in wear, as well as preserving primary bone with the femoral canal remaining untouched. This work has investigated the friction and lubrication behaviour of four 52 mm metal-on-metal Biomet ReCap components with a clearance of 167-178 μm using serum-based lubricants. MATERIALS AND METHODS. Four as-cast, high carbon, cobalt-chrome resurfacing systems (supplied by Biomet UK Healthcare Ltd, Swindon) with a nominal diameter of 52 mm each and diametral clearance of 167-178 μm were used in this study. Frictional measurements of all the joints were carried out at University of Bradford, Medical Engineering Department, using a Prosim Hip Joint Friction Simulator (Simulation Solutions Ltd, Stockport, UK). For the friction factors, an average of three independent tests was taken and each test was run using; 100% bovine serum (BS) and then aqueous solutions of 25% v/v BS in distilled water with varying quantities of CMC to obtain viscosities of; 0.0015 Pas (pure BS), 0.0013 Pas (25% BS), 0.00612 Pas (25% BS, 1 g CMC), 0.01274 Pas (25% BS, 2 g CMC) and 0.236 Pas (25% BS, 5 g CMC) at a shear rate of 3000 s-1. All viscosities were measured using a RHEOPLUS/32 V3.40. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION. The Stribeck curves for all four ReCap components showed a very similar trend, i.e. the friction factors decreased from ∼0.11 to ∼0.07 as the Sommerfeld number increased (i.e. as viscosity increased from 0.0015 to 0.0127 Pas) indicating a mixed lubrication regime up to a viscosity of 0.0127 Pas; above which the friction factor increased to ∼ 0.13 at a viscosity of 0.236 Pas. These results clearly suggest that the Biomet ReCap components showed low friction (at the physiological viscosities ∼0.01 Pas) with mixed lubrication as the dominant mode

Purpose of the study: Ceramic-on-ceramic THA explants exhibit a higher wear rate than that predicted by classical simulators. This appears to be related to edge loading, which could perhaps be reproducible in vitro by creating a microseparation between the two components. The purpose of this study was to evaluate this coefficient of friction for ceramic-on-ceramic THA with edge loading. This should enable prediction of wear in the event of microseparation. Material and methods: Three 32mm alumina inserts (Biolox Forte Ceramtec. ®. ) were tested on a friction simulatior (Prosim. ®. ). The cup was positioned vertically (75° inclination) to reproduce edge loading. The metal-back and the acetabular insert were sectioned to avoid impingement between the neck and cup. Contact was imposed along the border of the cup, then perpendicularly to it. The tests were performed under lubrication conditions (25% bovine serum). In order to simulate severe contact pressures, the tests were also conducted with a third body inserted between the head and the edge of the cup. To obtain reference values of the centred regimen, tests were first run with identical components positioned horizontally. Results: Edge loading was achieved for cups inclined at 75°. The coefficient of friction was 0.02±0.001 under centred conditions. For edge loading conditions, the coefficient of friction was significantly increased, to a mean 0.09±0.00 for movement along the acetabular border and 0.034±0.001 for movement perpendicular to the border. Squeaking occurred for 15 s when the third body was introduced, corresponding to a coefficient of friction 15-fold higher (0.32±0.003) than under ideal conditions. Discussion: For the first time, the coefficient of friction of edge loading was determined under conditions of lubrication. The friction coefficient of ceramic-on-ceramic THA was greater for a very vertical cup, but remained (0.1) equivalent to the metal-on-metal coefficient under optimal conditions. When a third body was introduced, transient squeaking occurred with a very high coefficient of friction. Conclusion: Implantation of cups with a high abduction angle induces edge loading and an increased coefficient of friction, and should be avoided

Different wear rates have been reported for ceramic-on-ceramic (COC) and metal-on-metal (MOM) hip replacements tested in simulators with different loading conditions and lubricants. We postulate that differences in wear rates may be associated with changes in lubrication and friction in the joint. This study aimed to compare the friction of COC and MOM bearings under different lubrication regimes, simulated by varying swing-phase loads and lubricants. Alumina COC and CoCr MOM 28mm-diameter bearings were studied in a pendulum friction simulator. Flexion-extension of +/−25 degrees was applied to the head, a peak load of 2kN and swing-phase loads of 25N,100N, 300N used. Lubricants used included water, 25% and 100%-bovine serum. COC and MOM bearings showed increased friction as the swing-phase load increased. COC bearings produced higher friction in 100%-serum compared to 25%-serum. In contrast, friction was lower when MOM bearings were tested in 100%-serum compared to 25%-serum. When COC bearings were tested in water, the friction decreased in comparison to testing in serum, however, MOM friction was higher in water. Increasing the swing-phase load reduced the thickness of the fluid-film in the stance-phase and this increased friction. The increase in friction when COC bearings were tested in 100%-serum (compared to 25%) may be due to the increased forces required to shear the increased concentration of proteins, similarly friction is reduced in water. MOM bearing friction was reduced in 100%-serum, in this instance increased proteins may be acting as solid-phase lubricants, and similarly MOM friction increased in water