Analysis and modelling of wear of cobalt-chrome alloys in a pin-on-plate test for a metal-on-metal total hip replacement

The complex interaction between wear and bearing surfaces of two contacting solids was investigated in this study, with particular reference to the use of metal-on-metal material combinations for artificial hip joint replacements. The contact mechanics model was coupled with the wear model and solved simultaneously as a function of time for a simple case of a uniaxial pin-on-plate wear test. Both a spherical pin and a flat-ended spherical pin were considered. It was shown that the contact pressure between the pin and the plate was substantially reduced by the wear process, particularly during the initial running-in period and for the spherical pin. The theoretical prediction of the worn profiles of the pin and the plate was found to be in good agreement with previous experimental measurements by Tipper et al. in 1999.     

Contact mechanics of a novel metal-on-metal total hip replacement

The contact mechanics of a novel metal-on-metal total hip replacement (THR) were investigated in this study. The metal-on-metal prosthesis considered consists of a cobalt-chrome acetabular insert connected to a titanium shell through a taper contact, articulating against a cobalt-chrome femoral head. Both the experimental measurement of the displacement of the acetabular insert and the contact area between the two bearing surfaces, and the corresponding numerical predictions using the finite element method have been conducted. Excellent agreement has been demonstrated between the experimental measurement and the finite element prediction under various loads up to 3 kN. The maximum contact pressure at the articulating surfaces has been predicted to be about 31 MPa from a simple axisymmetric finite element model, significantly lower than that of a similar cup but with a monoblock construct. This has been mainly attributed to the flexibility of the insert, leading to an increase in the conformity between the femoral head and the acetabular insert. In addition, the predicted maximum contact pressure is only slightly increased to 37 MPa, from a more realistic three-dimensional anatomical finite element model. The design features on metal-on-metal THRs have been shown to reduce contact stresses and may improve tribological performances of these hard-on-hard bearing couples.     

Microscopic asperity contact and deformation of ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene bearing surfaces

The effect of the roughness and topography of ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) bearing surfaces on the microscopic contact mechanics with a metallic counterface was investigated in the present study. Both simple sinusoidal roughness forms, with a wide range of amplitudes and wavelengths, and real surface topographies, measured before and after wear testing in a simple pin-on-plate machine, were considered in the theoretical analysis. The finite difference method was used to solve the microscopic contact between the rough UHMWPE bearing surface and a smooth hard counterface. The fast Fourier transform (FFT) was used to cope with the large number of mesh points required to represent the surface topography of the UHMWPE bearing surface. It was found that only isolated asperity contacts occurred under physiological loading, and the real contact area was only a small fraction of the nominal contact area. Consequently, the average contact pressure experienced at the articulating surfaces was significantly higher than the nominal contact pressure. Furthermore, it was shown that the majority of asperities on the worn UHMWPE pin were deformed in the elastic region, and consideration of the plastic deformation only resulted in a negligible increase in the predicted asperity contact area. Microscopic asperity contact and deformation mechanisms may play an important role in the understanding of the wear mechanisms of UHMWPE bearing surfaces.     

The Effect of Adapter Crown Wear on Rated Fatigue Life of a Railroad Tapered Roller Bearing

A model is developed to describe the effects of adapter crown wear on the misalignment of a railroad tapered-roller bearing. Wear of the crowned surface results in a flat on top of the adapter. This flat, in contact with the wear plate, is shown to have the capacity to transmit a moment between the bearing and the side-frame of the truck. The magnitude of the moment transmitted is dependent on the length of the flat. These analytical results are coupled with model results from a bearing manufacturer, which give the relationship between bearing misalignment, and thus transmitted moment, and reduction in fatigue life of the bearing. The analysis indicates that a slightly worn adapter has no appreciable effect on the rated fatigue life of the bearing, but once a threshold level in adapter crown wear is reached, the bearing fatigue life will begin to decrease. Large amounts of adapter crown wear will result in significant bearing misalignment and a corresponding reduction in the fatigue life of the bearing.     

Effect of wear of bearing surfaces on elastohydrodynamic lubrication of metal-on-metal hip implants

The effect of geometry change of the bearing surfaces owing to wear on the elastohydrodynamic lubrication (EHL) of metal-on-metal (MOM) hip bearings has been investigated theoretically in the present study. A particular MOM Metasul bearing (Zimmer GmbH) was considered, and was tested in a hip simulator using diluted bovine serum. The geometry of the worn bearing surface was measured using a coordinate measuring machine (CMM) and was modelled theoretically on the assumption of spherical geometries determined from the maximum linear wear depth and the angle of the worn region. Both the CMM measurement and the theoretical calculation were directly incorporated into the elastohydrodynamic lubrication analysis. It was found that the geometry of the original machined bearing surfaces, particularly of the femoral head with its out-of-roundness, could lead to a large reduction in the predicted lubricant film thickness and an increase in pressure. However, these non-spherical deviations can be expected to be smoothed out quickly during the initial running-in period. For a given worn bearing surface, the predicted lubricant film thickness and pressure distribution, based on CMM measurement, were found to be in good overall agreement with those obtained with the theoretical model based on the maximum linear wear depth and the angle of the worn region. The gradual increase in linear wear during the running-in period resulted in an improvement in the conformity and consequently an increase in the predicted lubricant film thickness and a decrease in the pressure. For the Metasul bearing tested in an AMTI hip simulator, a maximum total linear wear depth of approximately 13 microm was measured after 1 million cycles and remained unchanged up to 5 million cycles. This resulted in a threefold increase in the predicted average lubricant film thickness. Consequently, it was possible for the Metasul bearing to achieve a fluid film lubrication regime during this period, and this was consistent with the minimal wear observed between 1 and 5 million cycles. However, under adverse in vivo conditions associated with start-up and stopping and depleted lubrication, wear of the bearing surfaces can still occur. An increase in the wear depth beyond a certain limit was shown to lead to the constriction of the lubricant film around the edge of the contact conjunction and consequently to a decrease in the lubricant film thickness. Continuous cycles of a running-in wear period followed by a steady state wear period may be inevitable in MOM hip implants. This highlights the importance of minimizing the wear in these devices during the initial running-in period, particularly from design and manufacturing points of view.     

A new formulation for the prediction of polyethylene wear in artificial hip joints

Artificial joints employing ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) are widely used to treat joint diseases and trauma. Wear of the polymer bearing surface largely limits the use of these joints in younger and more active patients. Previous studies have shown the wear factor used in Archard's law for the conventional polyethylene to be highly dependent on contact pressure and this has produced variability in experimental data and has constrained the reliability and applicability of previous computational predictions. A new wear law is proposed, based on wear volume being dependent on, and proportional to, the product of the sliding distance and contact area. The dimensionless proportional constant, wear coefficient, which was independent of contact pressure, was determined from a multi-directional pin on plate study. This was used in computational predictions of the wear of the conventional UHMWPE hip joints. The wear of the polyethylene cup was independently experimentally determined in physiological full hip joint simulator studies. The predicted wear rate from the new computational model was generally increased, with an improved agreement with the experimental measurement compared with the previous computational model. It was shown that wear in the UHMWPE hip joints increased as head size and contact area increased. This resulted in a much larger increase in the wear rate as the head size increased, compared with the previous computational model, and is consistent with clinical observations. This new understanding of the wear mechanism in artificial joints using the UHMWPE bearing surfaces, and the improved ability to predict wear independently and to address previously described discrepancies offer new opportunities to optimize design parameters.     

汽车发动机链条的微动磨损现象研究

通过对汽车发动机链条进行高速磨损试验和道路行驶试验,研究了汽车发动机链条的摩擦磨损性能。结果表明,试验后链条的套筒与内链板以及销轴与外链板之间的压出力和扭矩均有所下降,这就说明了微动磨损现象的存在。通过对磨斑形貌的分析,探讨了其磨损机制,表明粘着磨损、疲劳磨损和磨粒磨损是主要磨损机制。对汽车发动机链条微动损伤防护方法进行了探讨,表明通过对链板孔采用挤孔工艺,增加套筒与内链板,销轴与外链板的过盈配合量以及改进链板、销轴和套筒的表面处理工艺来提高其疲劳强度,可增加抗微动损伤的能力。     

Analysis of contact mechanics in McKee-farrar metal-on-metal hip implants

Contact mechanics analysis for a typical McKee-Farrar metal-on-metal hip implant was carried out in this study. The finite element method was used to predict the contact area and the contact pressure distribution at the bearing surfaces. The study investigated the effects of the cement and underlying bone, the geometrical parameters such as the radial clearance between the acetabular cup and the femoral head, and the acetabular cup thickness, as well as other geometrical features on the acetabular cup such as lip and studs. For all the cases considered, the predicted contact pressure distribution was found to be significantly different from that based upon the classical Hertz contact theory, with the maximum value being away from the centre of the contact region. The lip on the cup was found to have a negligible effect on the predicted contact pressure distribution. The presence of the studs on the outside of the cup caused a significant increase in the local contact pressure distribution, and a slight decrease in the contact region. Reasonably good agreement of the predicted contact pressure distribution was found between a three-dimensional anatomical model and a simple two-dimensional axisymmetric model. The interfacial boundary condition between the acetabular cup and the underlying cement, modelled as perfectly fixed or perfectly unbonded, had a negligible effect on the predicted contact parameters. For a given radial clearance of 0.079 mm, the decrease in the thickness of the acetabular cup from 4.5 to 1.5 mm resulted in an increase in the contact half angle from 15 degrees to 26 degrees, and a decrease in the maximum contact pressure from 55 to 20 MPa. For a given acetabular cup thickness of 1.5 mm, a decrease in the radial clearance from 0.158 to 0.0395 mm led to an increase in the contact half-angle from 20 degrees to 30 degrees, and a decrease in the maximum contact pressure from 30 to 10 MPa. For zero clearance, although the contact pressure was significantly reduced over most of the contact area, the whole acetabular cup came into contact with the femoral head, leading to stress concentration at the edge of the cup. Design optimization of the geometrical parameters, in terms of the acetabular cup thickness and the radial clearance, is important, not only to minimize the contact stress at the bearing surfaces, but also to avoid equatorial and edge contact.     

不同湿度环境中钢/铜配副摩擦磨损性能研究

应用QG-700型高温气氛摩擦磨损试验机研究了CrNiMo钢/黄铜配副在不同环境湿度条件下的滑动摩擦磨损性能,利用三维形貌轮廓仪、EDAX能谱分析仪(EDS)分析了其磨损机制。结果表明:随着环境气氛湿度的增加,配副的摩擦因数、销/盘试样磨损率和摩擦温度均呈降低趋势,摩擦学性能得到改善。销试样的磨损机制主要为黏着磨损,环境湿度的增大弱化了配副材料的黏着磨损。     

Characterisation of wear on a cam follower system in a diesel engine

This paper presents an investigation of the running in of the most important contact surfaces of a modern diesel cam follower system. The test equipment used consists of a commercially available cylinder head with an overhead camshaft and valve train system for six cylinders. The load on the contacting surfaces is varied by controlling the fuel injector pumps. The running in is investigated by analysing the changes in topography of the roller, pin and rocker arm of the fuel injector arm. Seven test series were conducted for 1, 10 and 100 h with a variation of the load and speed between a high and low level.The test time was not long enough to be able to see any changes in the surface topography of the roller or pin surfaces. However the wear on the roller bearing surface and the rocker arm bearing surface was significant. Here the surface peak heights are worn off and the surfaces are smoothed out. The observed changes in surface topography are related to the current lubrication regime and the wear is discussed in terms of the λ-value.     

Wear Behavior of Al-Si Alloy Impregnated Graphite Composite

Pin-on-disk type unidirectional sliding wear experiments for an Al-Si alloy impregnated graphite composite (pin) in contact with a bearing steel (disk) were conducted at various contact loads in wet and dry air to investigate the wear behaviors in detail. The pin-lifting phenomena of the composite as observed. The height was constant at lower loads and increased with load. The entrance of wear particles into the contacting surfaces brought about the pin lifting. Mixtures of graphite powder and wear particles adhered to the sliding surface of the bearing steel, resulting in the formation of wide, compacted surface films. The mean thickness of the films increased with load to a few micrometers. The composite exhibited better wear resistance than the matrices in wet air and the wear rate decreased especially at high loads. The wide, compacted films together with the pin-lifting phenomena prevent metal-to-metal contact, achieving a good anti-wear condition. On the other hand, the surface films that adhere in a scaled fashion in dry air have little wear reduction effect.     

Tribological and nanoscale research on model friction couples intended for hip joint prostheses

Abstract

The paper presents the results of tribological and nanoscale research on model friction couples intended for hip joint prostheses. The tribological tests were performed by means of reciprocating pin on plate testing machine. The investigated friction pairs contained plates rubbing against polymer pins. The test plates were made from seven kinds of ceramics containing different concentrations of ZrO₂ and Al₂O₃, and two kinds of Co–Cr alloy. The test pins were made from UHMWPE. Tribological tests were performed in conditions of Ringer solution circulation. On the basis of friction force measurements, for each investigated friction couple, the average coefficient of friction was calculated. On the basis of total wear measurements, for each investigated couple, the wear intensity was calculated. Before and after every test, the plates and pins were analysed by means of atomic force microscopy. The difference in plate surface roughness was determined by the results of the atomic force microscopy analyses.

It was stated, that in the case of investigated friction joints, working under reciprocating motion, the wear and friction coefficient correlates with the surface roughness of plate specimens. For the plates with higher surface roughness, the lower friction coefficient and also lower UHMWPE pin wear intensity were observed. The friction coefficient and wear intensity were increasing with decreasing surface roughness. The correlation is confirmed by the differences in material transfer process. Considering investigated friction couples, the pin polymer material is smeared on the ceramic plates with the highest surface roughness creating a thin polymer film. In the case of ceramic surfaces with the lowest surface roughness, the strong adhesive bounds are created and some large particles of polymer are transferred to ceramic surface.     

氮/氧混合气氛环境下钢/铜摩擦副摩擦学性能研究

应用QG-700型高温气氛摩擦磨损试验机,研究了常温下CrNiMo钢/黄铜配副在不同氮/氧混合气氛比例条件下的干滑动摩擦磨损性能,利用扫描电子显微镜(SEM)、EDAX能谱仪(EDS)和X射线光电子能谱仪(XPS)分析其磨损机制。试验结果表明:随着氮/氧混合气氛中氧气气氛比例的增加,销试样磨损率和配副的摩擦因数整体均呈现降低趋势;磨损机制逐渐由黏着磨损和磨粒磨损向氧化磨损、磨粒磨损和黏着磨损共同作用机制转变;摩擦表面生成铁和铜的氧化物,且氧化物的成分随着氧气含量不同而有所不同。     

An interferometric study of lubricated rotary face seals

Ineffective lubrication of rotary face seals can lead to rapid wear and failure. This paper is concerned primarily with the conditions under which effective lubrication can be achieved, rather than with sealing. Following a preliminary study of the lubrication of a rubber cylinder, an optically smooth toroidal seal running against a glass plate was investigated. For well aligned surfaces, it appears that the source of pressure generation in the lubricant film is small asperities and other surface defects: radial misalignment promotes the formation of a relatively thick, stable elastohydrodynamic film. The results indicate that controlled roughness and misalignment should enable rotary face seals to operate satisfactorily in the presence of lubricants of adequate viscosity     

新型Hy-Vo齿形链磨损特性的研究

通过分析计算以及300h的台架磨损试验,研究了新型Hy-Vo齿形链的耐磨特性,结果表明,由于新型Hy-Vo齿形链的一对对滚异型销轴以滚动摩擦为主交替承载磨损,其承载表面比压值较普通滚子链以及圆销式齿形链低,新型Hy-Vo齿形链具有较高的耐磨性。对新型Hy-Vo齿形链的异型销轴、内-外复合啮合链板以及外啮合链板的磨损表面作了SEM形貌分析。销轴的磨损机制为疲劳磨损,工作链板的磨损机制为磨粒磨损和疲劳磨损。     

Analysis of elastohydrodynamic lubrication in McKee-Farrar metal-on-metal hip joint replacement

An elastohydrodynamic lubrication (EHL) analysis was carried out in this study for a typical McKee-Farrar metal-on-metal hip prosthesis under a simple steady state rotation. The finite element method was used initially to investigate the effect of the cement and bone on the predicted contact pressure distribution between the two articulating surfaces under dry conditions, and subsequently to determine the elastic deformation of both the femoral and the acetabular components required for the lubrication analysis. Both Reynolds equation and the elasticity equation were coupled and solved numerically using the finite difference method. Important features in reducing contact stresses and promoting fluid-film lubrication associated with the McKee-Farrar metal-on-metal hip implant were identified as the large femoral head and the thin acetabular cup. For the typical McKee-Farrar metal-on-metal hip prosthesis considered under typical walking conditions, an increase in the femoral head radius from 14 to 17.4 mm (for a fixed radial clearance of 79 microm) was shown to result in a 25 per cent decrease in the maximum dry contact pressure and a 60 per cent increase in the predicted minimum film thickness. Furthermore, the predicted maximum contact pressure considering both the cement and the bone was found to be decreased by about 80 per cent, while the minimum film thickness was predicted to be increased by 50 per cent. Despite a significant increase in the predicted minimum lubricating film thickness due to the large femoral head and the thin acetabular cup, a mixed lubrication regime was predicted for the McKee-Farrar metal-on-metal hip implant under estimated in vivo steady state walking conditions, depending on the surface roughness of the bearing surfaces. This clearly demonstrated the important influences of the material, design and manufacturing parameters on the tribological performance of these hard-on-hard hip prostheses. Furthermore, in the present contact mechanics analysis, the significant increase in the elasticity due to the relatively thin acetabular cup was not found to cause equatorial contact and gripping of the ball.     

Characterization of wear scar surfaces using combined three-dimensional topographic analysis and contact resistance measurements

In this paper, a technique for the quantitative characterization of wear scar surfaces, using combined three-dimensional topographical analysis and contact resistance measurements, is introduced. Parameters for the characterization of wear surfaces, developed during sliding of pin-on-disk specimens in oxygen at high temperature, such as wear volume, roughness, average wear depth on the disk specimen, surface coverage by wear-protective oxide layers and their distributions over the wear surface, are presented and calculated. Such analyses provide more effective data for the analysis of wear processes and wear mechanisms.This method has been applied to the analysis of dry reciprocating sliding wear of a nickel-base alloy, N80A, at temperatures to 600°C. It was found that there was usually a difference between the wear rates of the pin and the disk. This difference increased with increase in temperature, the wear of the pin being much less than that of the disk at the higher temperatures. Although the total wear of both the pin and the disk decreased considerably with increase in temperature, the damage to the disk, judged by the wear depth of the scar, was much higher at elevated temperatures than at low temperatures. The roughnesses of the wear surfaces generally increased with increase in temperature. Less than 50% coverage of the scar surfaces by wear-protective oxide layers was sufficient for the severe-to-mild wear transition. However, the distribution of the wear-protective layers over the wear surfaces was non-uniform. Most of them were concentrated near the centre of the scar, along the sliding direction, under the present conditions. These features of the wear scar surfaces were mainly related to the adhesion and compaction of wear debris particles onto the wear surfaces, leading to development of the wear-protective layers at the various temperatures.     

Vibration monitoring in sliding wear of plasma sprayed ceramics

Dry frictional contact between two surfaces, one made of plasma sprayed ceramic coatings of Al₂O₃ and Al₂O₃---TiO₂ combination and the other made of steel, is analyzed. The experiments were conducted using a pin-on-disc set-up in the load range of 5–35 N and for sliding distances up to 14 km. The interactions between friction, wear and vibrations due to influence of normal load, sliding speed and system dynamics are investigated in the present paper. Two vibration parameters of pin in the load direction (vertical) are monitored, namely the r.m.s. acceleration and the kurtosis, which seem to be influenced considerably by the wear process and indicate correlation with wear mechanisms taking place such as stick-slip and grain pull-out, as evidenced by scanning electron microscopy of worn surfaces. The study shows that a range of frequency is to be utilized for vibration monitoring to include natural frequencis of the system consisting of pin in contact with disc. This could be estimated by a standard impulse hammer test. The pin acceleration decreases with increase in load and sliding distance, but with respect to sliding speed, the vibration level intially decreases but increases beyond the sliding speed of 1.5 m s⁻¹. Among the three ceramic coatings, TiO₂ is found to be most wear resistant, exhibiting the lowest friction coefficient and a low vibration level. Variation in kurtosis with run-in wear indicates smoothing of Al₂O₃ due to grain pull out.     

Tribological Behavior of Electrodeposited Ni-Fe Multilayer Coating

In the present study, the sliding wear behavior of pulse-electrodeposited multilayer Ni-Fe coatings as a function of pulse parameters including frequency and duty cycle has been studied using pin-on-disc tests against an Al₂O₃ counterbody. Sliding wear was investigated with respect to the coefficient of friction (COF), worn surfaces, wear rate, and wear debris. The results of COF with sliding distance revealed a two-region state. At the start of the test the COF was higher, which was due to high stress at the contact region and the occurrence of delamination wear. Then the COF was collapsed as a result of pin penetration and decreased stress at the contact region. The intensity of delamination is decreased at the later stage. The wear resistance of multilayer coatings is increased with increasing frequency and decreasing duty cycles as a consequence of grain refinement and hardness enhancement.     

Effect of Radial Clearance on Wear and Contact Pressure of Hard-on-Hard Hip Prostheses Using Finite Element Concepts

Wear of the bearing surface increases the revision rate of artificial hip replacements and is influenced by the radial clearances between the acetabulum cup and the femoral head. The objective of this article is to determine the effect of various radial clearance values over the contact pressure and wear of the hard-on-hard—that is, polycrystalline diamond (PCD)—hip prostheses using finite element concepts for normal walking conditions. The wear of the hip bearing surface is determined by considering the contact pressures obtained from the hip gait instants of normal walking activity and sliding distance determined from the three-dimensional hip gait motions. The radial clearance value of 0.05 mm showed less volumetric wear rate when compared with other radial clearance values. Overall, it is recommended that the low radial clearance between the contacting pair is suitable for PCD-on-PCD hip prostheses.