The influence of nominal stress on wear factors of carbon-fibre reinforced polyetheretherketone (PEEK-OPTIMA Wear Performance) against zirconia toughened alumina (Biolox delta ceramic)

Evans, Andrew; Horton, Henrietta; Unsworth, Anthony; Briscoe, Adam

Abstract

Carbon fibre–reinforced polyetheretherketone is an attractive alternative to ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene in artificial joints, but little has been published on the influence of stress on the wear factor. We know that in ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene, the wear factor reduces as the normal stress increases, which is counter-intuitive but very helpful in the case of non-conforming contacts. In this study, carbon fibre–reinforced polyetheretherketone (PEEK-OPTIMA® Wear Performance) has been investigated in a pin-on-plate machine under steady loads and under stresses typical of hip and knee joints. At stresses below about 6 MPa, wear factors are between 10 and a 100 times lower than for ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene but at higher stresses the wear factors increase substantially.

Citation

Evans, A., Horton, H., Unsworth, A., & Briscoe, A. (in press). The influence of nominal stress on wear factors of carbon-fibre reinforced polyetheretherketone (PEEK-OPTIMA Wear Performance) against zirconia toughened alumina (Biolox delta ceramic). Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part H: Journal of Engineering in Medicine, 228(6), 587-592. https://doi.org/10.1177/0954411914538783

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: May 14, 2014
• Deposit Date: Jun 15, 2015
• Journal: Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part H: Journal of Engineering in Medicine
• Print ISSN: 0954-4119
• Electronic ISSN: 2041-3033
• Publisher: SAGE Publications
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 228
• Issue: 6
• Pages: 587-592
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0954411914538783