Effects of Annealing on Tensile Strength and Creep Resistance of Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene (UHMWPE)

摘要

UHMWPE is an important biomaterial for orthopedic uses such as acetabular cup for hip replacement and loading-bearing surfaces in knee, ankle and shoulder prostheses. While satisfactory in many respects, wear, creep and plastic flow have been concerns for long-term performance of UHMWPE components. Extensive research has been directed towards UHMWPE wear and developing processes for wear reduction. Crosslinking is the most widely used method to improve the wear resistance of UHMWPE and comprehensive reviews on crosslinked UHMWPE are available. Compared with wear, creep behavior of UHMWPE has been less studied; in fact, creep results are somewhat inconsistent.