title: Innovative tribometer for in situ spectroscopic analyses of wear mechanisms and phase transformation in ceramic femoral heads.
abstract: The literature on tribological assessments of artificial hip joints usually focuses on correlations between joint composition, size, and specific wear rates, but conspicuously ignores the physical aspects behind the occurrence of degradation mechanisms of friction and wear. Surface degradation in artificial joints occurs because of increases in temperature and local exacerbation of contact stresses inside the moving contact as a consequence of physical and chemical modifications of the sliding surfaces. This article reports about the development of a new pin-on-ball spectroscopy-assisted tribometer device that enables investigating also physical rather than merely engineering aspects of wear processes using in situ Raman and fluorescence techniques. This innovative tribometer is designed to bring about, in addition to conventional tribological parameters, also information of temperature, stress and phase transformations in the femoral heads as received from the manufacturer. Raman and fluorescence spectra at the point of sliding contact are recorded durilng reciprocating hard-on-hard dry-sliding tests. Preliminary results were collected on two different commercially available ceramic-on-ceramic hip joint bearing couples, made of monolithic alumina and alumina-zirconia composites. Although the composite couple showed direct evidence of tetragonal-to-monoclinic phase transformation, which enhanced the coefficient of friction, the specific wear rate was significantly lower than that of the monolithic one (i.e., by a factor 2.63 and 4.48 on the pin and head side, respectively). In situ collected data compared to ex situ analyses elucidated the surface degradation processes and clarified the origin for the higher wear resistance of the composite as compared to the monolithic couple.
authors: Ceramic Physics Laboratory & Research Institute for Nanoscience, Kyoto Institute of Technology, Sakyo-ku, Matsugasaki, 606-8585 Kyoto, Japan. Electronic address: puppulin@chem.kit.ac.jp.
authors: Leonardo
authors: L
authors: Puppulin
authors: Piezotech Japan, Ltd., Mukaibata-cho, Ichijoji, 606-8326 Kyoto, Japan.
authors: Andrea
authors: A
authors: Leto
authors: Department of Medical Engineering for Treatment of Bone and Joint Disorders, Osaka University, 2-2 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0854, Japan.
authors: Zhu
authors: Z
authors: Wenliang
authors: Department of Medical Engineering for Treatment of Bone and Joint Disorders, Osaka University, 2-2 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0854, Japan.
authors: Nobuhiko
authors: N
authors: Sugano
authors: Ceramic Physics Laboratory & Research Institute for Nanoscience, Kyoto Institute of Technology, Sakyo-ku, Matsugasaki, 606-8585 Kyoto, Japan; The Center for Advanced Medical Engineering and Informatics, Osaka University, 2-2 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan.
authors: Giuseppe
authors: G
authors: Pezzotti
mesh_terms: D002516:Ceramics / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry*; D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D005270:Femur Head / Q000601:surgery*; D017276:Friction; D006622:Hip Prosthesis; D008153:Lubrication; D008422:Materials Testing / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D013057:Spectrum Analysis / Q000295:instrumentation*; D013314:Stress, Mechanical