Ultrahigh Molecular Weight Polyethylene (ultrahigh + molecular_weight_polyethylene)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Effect of crosslinking, remelting, and aging on UHMWPE damage in a linear experimental wear model

JOURNAL OF ORTHOPAEDIC RESEARCH, Issue 7 2007
Suzanne A. Maher
Abstract The objective of this study was to establish the effect of postirradiation melting as a function of irradiation dose on the wear behavior and material characteristics of ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene. Our hypothesis was that a low dose of irradiation followed by melting would have the same improved wear performance as is found with higher doses of irradiation, but without the disadvantages associated with reduced fracture toughness. The hypothesis was tested by measuring the wear performance (wear track area, incidence of pitting and delamination) in a linear doubly curved-on-flat cyclic test, material behavior (elastic modulus, fracture toughness), and aging response (density changes through the thickness) of the following materials: elevated crosslinked groups,radiated at 25, 65, and 120 kGy, melted, sterilized and aged; a melted group,melted, sterilized, and aged; and a control group,sterilized and aged. Our findings suggest that postirradiation melting, not the irradiation dose, dominates the material property changes and wear response. Melting ensured reduced modulus and therefore decreased contact stresses, superior wear performance, and good resistance to aging, even after low levels of irradiation (25 kGy). The low modulus of the 25 kGy elevated crosslinked group, coupled with increased fracture toughness compared to samples irradiated at higher doses and a resistance to aging not found in the melted group, support our hypothesis. A low dose of irradiation followed by heat treatment has the same beneficial effects in terms of improved wear performance, but without the disadvantages of reduced fracture toughness found with higher doses of irradiation. © 2007 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 25:849,857, 2007 [source]


Polyethylene cross-linking by two different methods reduces acetabular liner wear in a hip joint wear simulator

JOURNAL OF ORTHOPAEDIC RESEARCH, Issue 5 2003
Darryl D. D'Lima
Advances in cross-linking have led to the development of wear resistant ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene for total joint replacement. This study compared wear reduction by two different cross-linking methods as measured in a hip wear simulator. One highly cross-linked polyethylene was treated with 7.5 Mrad gamma irradiation with post-irradiation annealing and a sterilization dose of 2.5 Mrad (10 Gamma), while the other used 9.5 Mrad warm irradiation with 10 MeV electron-beam (9.5 EB). Liners of the same design, made from nominally cross-linked (gamma sterilized) polyethylene were also tested. Gravimetric wear analysis was performed every 500,000 cycles for 5,000,000 cycles. After correcting for weight gain due to water absorption, the nominally cross-linked liners demonstrated mean wear rates of 15.7 (±1.7) and 12.5 (±1.0) mg/million cycles. Both highly cross-linked polyethylene liners demonstrated significantly less wear than their respective controls (with mean wear rates of 1.5 (±1.2) and ,1.4 (±1.5) mg/million cycles). The 9.5 EB liners gained weight presumably due to increased fluid absorption, in addition to that measured in loaded,soaked control implants. Any wear occurring was therefore assumed to have been more than offset by weight gain. Highly cross-linked polyethylene was significantly more wear resistant than non- or nominally cross-linked polyethylene. The differences in wear rates between the two highly cross-linked polyethylene designs (9.5 EB or 10 Gamma) are probably too small to be clinically significant. © 2003 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved. [source]


Wear Simulation of Alumina-on-Alumina Prosthetic Hip Joints Using a Multidirectional Motion Pin-on-Disk Device

JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CERAMIC SOCIETY, Issue 11 2002
Vesa Saikko
The wear of a state-of-the-art implant alumina against itself was studied with a circularly translating pin-on-disk (CTPOD) device, a wear simulator for prosthetic hip joint materials. The direction of sliding changed continually relative to the pin, preventing erroneous uniaxial grooving typical of ordinary pin-on-disk devices. The dominating wear mechanism was mild abrasion manifested as a relieflike surface, which agreed with clinical findings. The wear factor ranged from 1 × 10,8 to 6 × 10,8 mm3/(N·m). The CTPOD device, validated earlier for ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene, was shown to be the first simple wear test device to produce wear similar to that known to occur clinically in alumina-on-alumina total hip prostheses. [source]


Development of UHMWPE modified PP/PET blends and their mechanical and abrasive wear behavior

POLYMER COMPOSITES, Issue 2 2007
Navin Chand
In this study, polypropylene and polyethylene terephthalate blend were modified by incorporating different percentages of ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) ranging from 1 to 5 phr. Modified blends were prepared by melt mixing the PP/PET blend and UHMWPE. Ultimate tensile strength of UHMWPE filled blend was determined at 10, 20, 50, and 100 mm/min cross head speeds of testing. It was found that increase of cross head speed from 10 to 100 mm/min increases the tensile strength of PP/PET/UHMWPE blends. Maximum ultimate tensile strength is exhibited by the blend containing 2 phr UHMWPE. Breaking strain of the UHMWPE modified and unmodified PP/PET blend increased with the increase of cross head speed due to the highly entangled chain structure of UHMWPE. Shore A hardness of the filled blends also increased from 341 to 356, which is highest for 2 phr UHMWPE. High stress abrasive wear of UHMWPE modified blend was determined by using Suga abrasion tester, model NUS-1 Japan. Wear rate of the PP/PET(90/10) blends having 1, 2, and 5 phr of UHMWPE was determined at different loads such as 1, 3, 5, and 7 N and sliding distances from 6.4 m to 25.6 m. Wear rate values show that UHMWPE has prominent effect on abrasive wear of PP/PET blends. Addition of 2 and 5 phr UHMWPE improved the wear resistance of PP/PET blends at different loads, which has been explained on the basis of improved bonding as compared with pure PP/PET blend and increased hardness. Maximum abrasive wear rate reduction was achieved by adding 2 phr UHMWPE in PP/PET(90/10) blend. POLYM. COMPOS. 28:267,272, 2007. © 2007 Society of Plastics Engineers [source]


Drawing in high pressure CO2,a new route to high performance fibers in memory of late Roger Porter

POLYMER ENGINEERING & SCIENCE, Issue 2 2001
Terry Hobbs
In this paper, we introduce a new draw technique for polymer orientation and apply it to different polymer fibers: poly(ethylene terephthalate) or PET, nylon 6,6, and ultra-high molecular polyethylene (UHMWPE). In this technique, a polymer is drawn uniaxially in supercritical CO2 using a custom high-pressure apparatus. This technique can be used in replacement of a traditional drawing process or as a post-treatment process. With PET, the technique is not effective at temperatures at or below 130°. In contrast, the process is highly effective for nylon 6,6 where CO2 drawn fibers show significantly higher crystallinity and orientation along with improved mechanical properties. While the fibers are plasticized, the drawability of the fibers is only slightly dependent on temperature. High pressure CO2 drawing of ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) fibers is equally effective. Commercial high performance fibers can be drawn up to a ratio of 1.9 in asecond stage, resulting in large increases in tensile modulus and small improvements in tensile strength. [source]