Ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) has been the main polymeric articulating implant material for the hip implant. Acetabular cup is made of UHMWPE in its unmodified form or with partial cross-linking and with Vitamin E added into it as the anti-oxidant.
Many efforts in the past have been made on finding an alternative material to UHMWPE in the hope of improving upon the already excellent tribological performance of this polymer. Several of UHMWPE composites and other polymers such as polyetheretherketone (PEEK) and polymer gels have been researched with some even tried in for in-vivo tests.
In this talk, we will review the tribological performances of non-UHMWPE polymeric materials for the acetabular cup application and compare those with the performances of UHMWPE in lab tests. New results on epoxy-based composite materials will also be present.
About the speakers
Dr Sinha is a full professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, India. Prior to this, he also worked as a faculty in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the National University of Singapore and briefly at the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, India. He holds a PhD degree from Imperial College London (1994) and a Master’s degree from the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India (1991). His major area of research is in the field of tribology and he is presently focusing on finding improved polymeric materials for the acetabular cup used in hip implants for total joint replacement.
