Particles of bone cement (polymethyl methacrylate), CoCr and Ti6Al4V were compared for their abrasion potential against CoCr substrates. This appears to be the first study utilizing CoCr and Ti6Al4V particulates to abrade CoCr bearings and the first study profiling the morphology of third-body abrasive wear scratches in a hip simulator. The 5 mg debris allotments (median size range 140-300 µm) were added to cups mounted both inverted and anatomically with metal-on-metal (MOM) bearings in a 10-cycle, hip simulator test. Surface abrasion was characterized by roughness indices and scratch profiles. Compared to third-body abrasion with metal debris, polymethyl methacrylate debris had minimal effect on the CoCr surfaces. In all, 10 cycles of abrasion with metal debris demonstrated that roughness indices (Ra, PV) increased approximately 20-fold from the unworn condition. The scratch profiles ranged 20-108 µm wide and 0.5-2.8 µm deep. The scratch aspect ratio (W/PV) averaged 0.03, and this very low ratio indicated that the 140 µm CoCr beads had plastically deformed to create wide but shallow scratches. There was no evidence of transfer of CoCr beads to CoCr bearings. The Ti64 particles produced similar scratch morphology with the same aspect ratio as the CoCr particulates. However, the titanium particulates also showed a unique ability to flatten and adhere to the CoCr, forming smears and islands of contaminating metal on the CoCr bearings. The morphology of scratches and metal transfer produced by these large metal particulates in the simulator appeared identical to those reported on retrieved metal-on-metal bearings.
ObjectivesThird-body wear is believed to be one trigger for adverse results with metal-on-metal (MOM) bearings. Impingement and subluxation may release metal particles from MOM replacements. We therefore challenged MOM bearings with relevant debris types of cobalt–chrome alloy (CoCr), titanium alloy (Ti6Al4V) and polymethylmethacrylate bone cement (PMMA).MethodsCement flakes (PMMA), CoCr and Ti6Al4V particles (size range 5 µm to 400 µm) were run in a MOM wear simulation. Debris allotments (5 mg) were inserted at ten intervals during the five million cycle (5 Mc) test. ResultsIn a clean test phase (0 Mc to 0.8 Mc), lubricants retained their yellow colour. Addition of metal particles at 0.8 Mc turned lubricants black within the first hour of the test and remained so for the duration, while PMMA particles did not change the colour of the lubricant. Rates of wear with PMMA, CoCr and Ti6Al4V debris averaged 0.3 mm3/Mc, 4.1 mm3/Mc and 6.4 mm3/Mc, respectively. ConclusionsMetal particles turned simulator lubricants black with rates of wear of MOM bearings an order of magnitude higher than with control PMMA particles. This appeared to model the findings of black, periarticular joint tissues and high CoCr wear in failed MOM replacements. The amount of wear debris produced during a 500 000-cycle interval of gait was 30 to 50 times greater than the weight of triggering particle allotment, indicating that MOM bearings were extremely sensitive to third-body wear.Cite this article: Bone Joint Res 2015;4:29–37.
Wear simulation of total-hip arthroplasty (THA) involves hip biomechanics, tribology, bearing designs and cup wear-patterns. This is the first demonstration of cup edge-loading using the "Inverted-cup" test mode. Benefits included, (i) clinically relevant wear-patterns, and (ii) cup inclinations varying from ideal to edge-loaded during each 1-s simulator cycle. The 60 mm head and cup bearings in metal-on-metal (MOM) hip joints showed run-in and steady-state wear phases to 10-million cycles (Mc). MOM edge-wear was not unduly high at 1.7 mm 3 /Mc overall, this 3-fold higher than 60 mm MOM study without edge-loading. One MOM outlier averaged 2.7 mm 3 /Mc, this representing the break-away wear (BAW) phenomena. A surprising result was that cups contributed 75-93% of total wear. The most disturbing conclusion from review of laboratory studies was that MOM wear-rates varied 1 to >30 mm 3 /Mc for reasons not understood. These data suggested a new hypothesis, that MOM bearings were very sensitive to external stimuli, be they simulator artifact or patient related.
Ceramic particles are believed to be particularly abrasive due to their extreme hardness. Ceramic debris has been reported in retrieved total hip arthroplasty (THA) due to chipping and fracture of alumina components or by flaking of hydroxyapatite from implant coatings. However there appears to be no abrasion ranking of such particle behavior. The hypotheses in this study were, i) alumina particles would create large scratches in CoCr surfaces and ii) hydroxyapatite would produce very mild scratching comparable to bone-cement particles. Hydroxyapatite beads came in two types of commercial powders while the flakes were scraped from retrieved femoral stems. Alumina beads came in two commercial powders and flakes were retrieved from a fractured ceramic head. Particle morphologies were determined by SEM and CoCr surface damage by interferometry and SEM. Six 38-mm MOM were mounted inverted in a hip simulator and run with ceramic particles inserted for a 10-second test. Surface-roughness ranking after 10-second abrasion test revealed that bone cement and hydroxyapatite produced least damage to CoCr surfaces while alumina produced the most. Alumina increased surface roughness 19-fold greater than either hydroxyapatite or bone-cement particles. The alumina debris produced numerous scratches typically 20-80 µm wide with some up to 140µm wide. Surprisingly the alumina beads and flakes were pulverized within the 10-second test interval and remained adherent to the CoCr surfaces. Additionally, the hydroxyapatite although also a ceramic had no more effect on CoCr than the bone-cement debris. Use of well-characterized and commercially available alumina and hydroxyapatite powders appeared advantageous for abrasion tests. These new data indicated that such ceramic powders have merit.
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