TRIBOLOGICAL BEHAVIOR OF THE FRICTION PAIR 'GRADE 2/PE-UHMW' AND THE TECHNOLOGY OF THE PRODUCTION OF ITS SPHERICAL PART MADE OF GRADE 2

摘要

An advance in the material engineering of biomaterials intended for hip joint replacement prostheses is a very important social matter due to incurable diseases or injuries of human joints happening to many people. For this purpose, a development of the tribological test techniques is also an urgent issue. The paper is devoted to the study of the tribological behaviour of the new "Nitrided GRADE 2/PE-UHMW" friction pair intended for hip joint endoprostheses. A pendulum tribometer and a ring-on-plane machine were used for tribological research. A new lubricant based on chondroitin sulphate was tribologically investigated compared to commonly used bovine blood serum. Also the technology of thermo-diffusion nitriding (TDN) of the GRADE 2 femoral head was optimised based on the results of the tribological experiments. A means of selecting of the geometrical parameters of the prosthetic implants to achieve the smallest wear is discussed. The optimum technology of machining of the femoral head made of the GRADE 2 titanium alloy to obtain the best surface quality is also presented. The paper consists of the first part of the results of the Polish-Ukrainian cooperation in testing biomaterials. The second part, to be also submitted to Tribologia, will describe the aspects of methodology of endoprosthesis simulation tests and test results, and it will present a difference in the wear of the hip joint prosthesis - the developed and commercial one.