Introduction: Osteolysis around orthopaedic implants, a consequence of the wear process, is a major problem for the long-term survival of the implants. We and others previously reported quantitative versions of the murine calvarial model of titanium particle induced osteolysis [1,2]. However, the most common particle type that is generated from orthopaedic implants is ultrahigh molecular weight...

In this paper, we report the synthesis and characterization of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE)-lignin composites. During this study four different compositions, namely UHMWPE, UHMWPE-13 wt. % lignin, UHMWPE-25 wt. % lignin and UHMWPE-42.5 wt. % lignin were fabricated by hot pressing. Detailed microstructural studies by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed that UHMWPE and ...

When subjected to a monotonically increasing deformation state, the mechanical behavior of UHMWPE is characterized by a linear elastic response followed by distributed yielding and strain hardening at large deformations. During the unloading phases of an applied cyclic deformation process, the response is characterized by nonlinear recovery driven by the release of stored internal energy. A num...

Ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) is frequently employed in joint replacements because of its high biocompatibility; however, this material does not exhibit particularly strong wear performance, thus potentially reducing the longevity of such devices. Numerous techniques have been investigated to increase the resistance to wear of UHMWPE, but they are all based on expensive mach...

This study evaluated the tradeoffs amongst fatigue crack propagation resistance, wear resistance, and oxidative stability in a wide variety of clinically-relevant cross-linked ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene. Highly cross-linked re-melted materials showed good oxidation and wear performance, but diminished fatigue crack propagation resistance. Highly cross-linked annealed materials sho...

Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene (UHMWPE) is a polymeric material employed in critical biomedical applications. Knowledge of its mechanical behavior is essential in order to obtain accurate prediction of stresses and deformations in real components, in particular when cyclic loading is considered. In the present research the effects of alternating and pulsating cyclic strain on the mech...

Nitrogen Plasma Immersion Ion Implantation (PIII) has been used to modify the surface chemical structure of Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene (UHMWPE). Grinding and polishing processes based on abrasive papers and alumina pastes have been evaluated with regard to their results on the improvement of polymer surface roughness, which has shown to be of crucial importance for hardness charac...

THE JOURNAL OF BONE AND JOINT SURGERY G. Blunn, PhD, Professor The Centre for Biomedical Engineering, Institute of Orthopaedics, Brockley Hill, Stanmore, Middlesex HA7 4LP, UK. E. M. Brach del Preva, MD, Associate Professor Department of Traumatology and Orthopaedics, University of Turin, Via Zuretti 29, 10126 Turin, Italy. L. Costa, PhD, Professor IFM Chemistry Department, University of Turin,...