Micro/Nanotribological behavior of interfaces

in total replacement joints

Satyam Bhuyan
Department of
Mechanical Engineering

MSE 580: Biomaterials

satyam@iastate.edu
www4.iastate.edu/~satyam

Nanoscale Tribology and Mechanics Laboratory

Outline

Background and Motivation

Objectives

Micro/nanoscale techniques

Samples and Experimental conditions

Results and Discussion

Nanoscale Tribology and Mechanics Laboratory

Definition
From Wikipedia

Tribology is the science and technology of friction,

lubrication, and wear, derived from the Greek tribo
meaning "I rub". Formally defined, it is the science
and technology of interacting surfaces in relative
motion and all practices related thereto.

Nanoscale Tribology and Mechanics Laboratory

Total Joint Replacements

Arthritis
Almost one in three people in the
US have arthritis/chronic joint
problems

Leading cause of disability (17.5%

in the U.S., 1999)

Health expenses of $117 billion in

1997 (www.cdc.gov)

Total joint replacements (TJRs): hip,

knee performed regularly since 1970s

About 500,000 TJRs performed every

year in the U.S. (Solucient)

About 17 20 % of TJRs are

replaced/revised every year (Dartmouth
Atlas of Musculoskeletal Health)
Nanoscale Tribology and Mechanics Laboratory

Trends in Total Joint Arthroplasty

Primary and Revision TJA Procedures Performed in the US
2500000

Number of Procedures

Projections*
2000000

1500000

Primary TJA
Revision TJA

1000000

500000

0
2000

2005

2010

2015

2020

2025

2030

Year

(Kevin J. Bozic, MD, Harry E. Rubash, MD, et. al, www.cdc.gov)

Nanoscale Tribology and Mechanics Laboratory

Total Joint Replacements - Problems

Wear of interface - particles can cause
loosening and osteolysis

Friction behavior of interface high friction

contributes to loosening and promotes
adhesive wear

Surgical inaccuracy improper

replacement causes unwanted stresses

Fracture (rare)

Nanoscale Tribology and Mechanics Laboratory

Joint tribology
Wear mechanisms
Fretting, corrosion-assisted, adhesive,
fatigue, third-body

Characterization of wear rates for

various material pairs
Characterization of wear particles
UHMWPE > Metal > Ceramic

Correlations between friction

performance and wear behavior
www.totaljoints.info

Low friction: Lower wear rate

Lubrication properties of synovial fluid

constituents
Hyalorunic acid beneficial, Albumin
increases friction

Nanoscale Tribology and Mechanics Laboratory

Testing methodologies
Joint simulators
accurate

representation of joint contact conditions

expensive

Pin-on-disk testers
high

speeds
high loads
unidirectional wear

Reciprocating tribometers
highly

accelerated wear behavior

high loads

Nanoscale Tribology and Mechanics Laboratory

Micro/nanotribology approach
Contact between engineering surface occurs at discrete
asperities that dictate tribological behavior of interface
Probe
microscope

Sharp Probe

Piezo
scanner

Sample

Investigate single asperity

(nanoscale)
Friction
Adhesion
Wear

Predict behavior of
macroscale interface

Investigate tribological behavior of

controlled multi-asperity contact
(microscale)
Nanoscale Tribology and Mechanics Laboratory

Predict multiple asperity

contact behavior
9

Objectives
Use micro/nanoscale techniques to investigate the
tribology of femoral head-acetabular cup interface in total
replacement hip joints

Understand the mechanisms for onset of wear

Develop a multiscale predictive model for the friction and
wear behavior total replacement joint interface

Nanoscale Tribology and Mechanics Laboratory

10

Experimental Details
Samples and interfaces

Si3N4 (probes)

Ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE)

Bar stock from Biomedtrix (New Jersey)
Experiments

Single asperity friction and adhesion using AFM

Multi-asperity contact using microtribometer

Controlled humidity

Nanoscale Tribology and Mechanics Laboratory

11

Atomic Force Microscope (AFM)

1986: Binnig, Quate and Gerber
The AFM measures the force between a tip and sample
Force sensitivity: piconewtons
No sample limitation

Photodetector
B

A
C

Laser

Control signal:
vertical defection of
cantilever

( A B) (C D)
A BCD

Piezo
tube
scanner

Cantilever/tip

Sample
Vibration isolation

Nanoscale Tribology and Mechanics Laboratory

12

X
Y
Z

Experimental AFM
Topography and surface roughness
characterization
Adhesion (From force distance curves)
Lateral (Friction) force measurements
10 x 10 micron scan size
Normal loads: 0 100 nN
speed = 40 mm/s

Nanoscale Tribology and Mechanics Laboratory

13

Si3N4

Si tip
r ~ 10 nm

Contact Mode, r = 50 nm
(Friction, adhesion)

Intermittent Contact
Mode (Topography)

Experimental - Microtribometer
Strain Gages

Lateral Arm
Normal Arm

Ramped load tests and constant load tests

Load range: 0.2 200 mN, force resolution: 20 mN
Silicon nitride probe, radius = 1.2 mm (Hoover Precision Products)
Stroke length = 30 mm, speed = 0.6 mm/s

Nanoscale Tribology and Mechanics Laboratory

14

Comparison of test conditions to joint conditions

Joints

Microtribometer
Stroke length = 30mm
Max Hertzian contact
pressure: 3 30 MPa
Contact sizes
10s 100s mm2
AFM
Max. Hertzian contact
pressure: 75 200 MPa

Max principal stress during

walking < 10MPa
A. Wang, Wear 181-183 (1995),
p241

Length of wear track ~62.5 mm

W.G. Sawyer, Gordon Research
Conf., 2002

Elastic contacts:
Plasticity index = 0.5

E *
p
H

Nanoscale Tribology and Mechanics Laboratory

> 1 plastic flow will occur even at trivial

loads
< 0.6 deformation is largely elastic
15

Surface topography
UHMWPE

Si3N4 sphere

10 micron scans

Ra

23 nm

Ra

2.1 nm

RMS

28 nm

RMS

2.9 nm

Peak to Valley

169 nm

Peak to Valley

55 nm

Skewness
Kurtosis

- 0.23

Skewness

2.3

Nanoscale Tribology and Mechanics Laboratory

Kurtosis
16

0.90
10

Single asperity adhesion and friction

30
RH = 48%
RH = 20%

Adhesive Force (nN)

Friction Force (a.u.)

200

RH = 18%

150
100
50
0

25
20
15
10
5
0

20

40
60
Normal Force (nN)

80

100

48

18
Relative Humdity (%)

Friction force increases linearly with load

UHMPWE displays higher friction behavior at lower humidity
Not necessarily a meniscus related effect

Nanoscale Tribology and Mechanics Laboratory

17

Multi-asperity friction as a function of load

30

RH = 50%
RH = 20%

Friction Force (mN)

25

20

15

10

0
0

50

100

150

Normal Load (mN)

Friction force increases linearly with load

UHMPWE displays slightly higher friction behavior at lower humidity
Corresponds to behavior at single asperity level
Nanoscale Tribology and Mechanics Laboratory

18

Si3N4 probe surface after

10 ramped load experiments
Direction of stroke

Material transfer
Partly loose, partly adhesive
AFM analysis: about 600 nm high

Nanoscale Tribology and Mechanics Laboratory

19

AFM, EDS analysis of Si3N4 probe

Adh. force = 30 nN

10 mm scan

Si

Counts

60000

40000

20000

Adh. force = 18 nN

Si

60000

C O

Al

Counts

0.0

0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0

x-ray energy (keV)

40000

Data suggests material

transfer of UHMWPE

20000

C
10 mm scan

Al

0
0.0

0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

x-ray energy (keV)

Nanoscale Tribology and Mechanics Laboratory

20

3.0

Multi-asperity friction as a function of time

50 mN normal load
30 mm stroke length at 2.4 mm/s
250 cycles, 15m total distance

Friction appears to reduce slightly and then increase

Nanoscale Tribology and Mechanics Laboratory

21

Si3N4 probe surface after

250 cycles at 50 mN
Before scan

After

Direction of stroke

Material transfer
Mostly loose
No discernable wear
track on UHMWPE

Nanoscale Tribology and Mechanics Laboratory

22

Summary of results
Micro/nanoscale friction behavior of UHMWPE dependent
on humidity

Even in elastic regime, there is removal (transfer) of

UHMWPE (adhesive wear particles?)

No discernable wear track possible burnishing of

asperities

Nanoscale Tribology and Mechanics Laboratory

23

Not included in the presentation

Referenced location testing (monitor wear tracks)

Peak analysis of surfaces

Rough contact model to predict real area of contact
Reciprocating tests in AFM and microtribometer at various
loads and durations

Bovine serum environment

CoCr probes

Nanoscale Tribology and Mechanics Laboratory

24

END
Acknowledgements
Jason Check, former ISU student

Nanoscale Tribology and Mechanics Laboratory

25