Contact mechanics and elastohydrodynamic lubrication in a novel metal-on-metal hip implant with an aspherical bearing surface

JOURNAL OF BIOMECHANICS

卷:43

Article

Meng, Qingen¹  Gao, Leiming¹  Liu, Feng¹  Yang, Peiran²  Fisher, John¹  Jin, Zhongmin¹ 

[1] Univ Leeds, Sch Mech Engn, Inst Med & Biol Engn, Leeds LS2 9JT, W Yorkshire, England

[2] Qingdao Technol Univ, Sch Mech Engn, Qingdao, Peoples R China

关键词: Contact mechanics;    Elastohydrodynamic lubrication;    Metal-on-metal hip implants;    Aspherical bearing surfaces;   

DOI  :  10.1016/j.jbiomech.2009.11.018

来源: Elsevier

【 摘 要 】

Diameter and diametral clearance of the bearing surfaces of metal-on-metal hip implants and structural supports have been recognised as key factors to reduce the dry contact and hydrodynamic pressures and improve lubrication performance. On the other hand, application of aspherical bearing surfaces can also significantly affect the contact mechanics and lubrication performance by changing the radius of the curvature of a bearing surface and consequently improving the conformity between the head and the cup. In this study, a novel metal-on-metal hip implant employing a specific aspherical bearing surface, Alpharabola, as the acetabular surface was investigated for both contact mechanics and elastohydrodynamic lubrication under steady-state conditions. When compared with conventional spherical bearing surfaces, a more uniform pressure distribution and a thicker lubricant film thickness within the loaded conjunction were predicted for this novel Alpharabola hip implant. The effects of the geometric parameters of this novel acetabular surface on the pressure distribution and lubricant thickness were investigated. A significant increase in the predicted lubricant film thickness and a significant decrease in the dry contact and hydrodynamic pressures were found with appropriate combinations of these geometric parameters, compared with the spherical bearing surface. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

【 授权许可】

Free