A lexicon for wear of metal-on-metal hip prostheses.
Research on metal-on-metal (MoM) hip bearings has generated an extensive vocabulary to describe the wear processes and resultant surface damage. However, a lack of consistency and some redundancy exist in the current terminology. To facilitate the understanding of MoM tribology and to enhance communication of results among researchers and clinicians, we propose four categories of wear terminology: wear modes refer to the in vivo conditions under which the wear occurred; wear mechanisms refer to fundamental wear processes (adhesion, abrasion, fatigue, and tribochemical reactions); wear damage refers to the resultant changes in the morphology and/or composition of the surfaces; and wear features refer to the specific wear phenomena that are described in terms of the relevant modes, mechanisms, and damage. Clarifying examples are presented, but it is expected that terms will be added to the lexicon as new mechanisms and types of damage are identified. Corrosion refers to electrochemical processes that can remove or add material and thus also generate damage. Corrosion can act alone or may interact with mechanical wear. Examples of corrosion damage are also presented. However, an in-depth discussion of the many types of corrosion and their effects is beyond the scope of the present wear lexicon.
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, UCLA & Orthopaedic Institute for Children, Los Angeles, California.
Harry A
HA
McKellop
Alister
A
Hart
Sang-Hyun
SH
Park
Harry
H
Hothi
Pat
P
Campbell
John A
JA
Skinner
D003343:Corrosion; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis / Q000379:methods*; D006622:Hip Prosthesis; D006801:Humans; D008422:Materials Testing; D008670:Metals; D013499:Surface Properties; D009626:Terminology as Topic
D008670:Metals
cobalt-chrome alloy; corrosion; hip arthroplasty; retrieval; wear