Wear simulation of total hip prostheses with polyethylene against CoCr, alumina and diamond-like carbon.

The wear of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene acetabular cups was studied with a new biaxial hip wear simulator using diluted calf serum as a lubricant. The cups had been packed and gamma-irradiated in argon. The cups were articulated against two established types of femoral head, alumina and CoCr, and one experimental type, CoCr coated with diamond-like carbon (DLC). The diameter of the heads was 28 mm. Polyethylene against alumina and against CoCr were studied because their clinical wear behaviour is relatively well known. The new simulator was validated with these established materials. The wear mechanisms, including the size and shape of the wear particles, agreed well with those seen in clinical studies. The average wear rates of the cups against alumina and CoCr heads were 48 and 56 mg per 1 million cycles, respectively. The order is in agreement with clinical observations. The average wear rate against DLC was 58 mg per 1 million cycles. As a counterface for polyethylene, DLC did not markedly differ from alumina and CoCr.