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

摘要

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.