Development and Validation of a Finite Element Model of Wear in UHMWPE Liner Using Experimental Data From Hip Simulator Studies

Abstract

The wear of acetabular liner is one of the key factors determining the longevity and osseointegration of Total Hip Replacement (THR) implants. The long-term experimental measurements of wear in THR components are time and cost-intensive. A finite element (FE) model of a 32 mm Ceramic on Polymer system consisting of ZTA (Zirconia-toughened Alumina) femoral head and UHMWPE (Ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene) liner was developed to predict the dynamic wear response of the liner. Archard-Lancaster equation, consisting of surface contact pressure, wear rate, and sliding distance, was employed to predict the wear in the liner. The contact pressure and wear at the articulating surface were found to decrease over time. A new computational method involving 3D point clouds from the FE analyzed results were used to construct wear maps. The model was able to predict the linear wear with relative errors ranging from 9% to 36% over 2 million cycles when compared to the published results. The increasing error percentage occurring primarily from the use of a constant wear rate was reduced to a maximum of 17% by introducing a correction factor. Volumetric wear rate was predicted with a maximum relative error of 7% with the implementation of the correction factor. When the model was implemented to study liners of diameters ranging from 28 mm to 36 mm, the linear wear was seen to decrease with an increase in femoral head diameter, which is in agreement with the clinical data.