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Wear of medical grade silicone rubber against titanium and ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene
Author(s) -
Pylios T.,
Shepherd D. E. T.
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
journal of biomedical materials research part b: applied biomaterials
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.665
H-Index - 108
eISSN - 1552-4981
pISSN - 1552-4973
DOI - 10.1002/jbm.b.30899
Subject(s) - silicone rubber , polyethylene , materials science , silicone , composite material , titanium , ultra high molecular weight polyethylene , natural rubber , metallurgy
The replacement of arthritic small joints, such as the fingers and wrist, has typically involved the use of one‐piece silicone rubber implants. Newer designs have involved the silicone moving against either a titanium or ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) component. The aim of this study was to investigate the wear of medical grade silicone rubber against titanium and UHMWPE. A pin‐on‐disc apparatus was used to slide a titanium and UHMWPE pin against a silicone disc, in the presence of either a Ringer's solution or bovine serum lubricant. Testing was undertaken at a sliding speed of 0.079 m/s and was continued for 10 km. Wear factors for titanium against silicone were 40.0 × 10 −6 mm 3 /N m and 66.5 × 10 −6 mm 3 /N m for bovine serum and Ringer's solution, respectively. The wear factors for UHMWPE against silicone were higher with values of 84.4 × 10 −6 mm 3 /N m and 88.3 × 10 −6 mm 3 /N m for bovine serum and Ringer's solution, respectively. The results of this study will be useful in future designs of finger and wrist implants that combine silicone rubber with either titanium or UHMWPE. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 2008