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Does Texturing of UHMWPE Increase Strength and Toughness?: A Pilot Study

  • Symposium: UHMWPE for Arthroplasty: From Powder to Debris
  • Published:
Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research®

Abstract

Background

Crosslinked UHMWPE as a bearing surface in total joint arthroplasty has higher wear resistance than conventional UHMWPE but lower strength and toughness. To produce crosslinked UHMWPE with improved mechanical properties, the material can be treated before crosslinking by tension to induce molecular alignment (texture).

Questions/purposes

We asked how (1) the microstructure of UHMWPE evolves when subjected to tension and (2) whether the new microstructure (texture) increases strength and toughness.

Methods

We analyzed microstructure evolution of UHMWPE by small- and wide-angle xray scattering and scanning electron microscopy. We then developed a method to characterize the local strength and toughness of undeformed and textured UHMWPEs by means of nanoscratch tests along and perpendicular to the specimen axis. In three samples we determined the scratch characteristics in terms of deformation mode, coefficient of friction (μ), and viscoelastic recovery (r).

Results

Before the tensile process, the scratch behavior of UHMWPE was characterized by a μ ranging from 0.64 to 0.68, no cracking, and r ranging from 0.58 to 0.60. Microfibrillar morphologic features resulted from the tensile process. The new microstructure had an increased strength (r = 0.78) and decreased toughness (cracking + μ = 0.77) perpendicular to the fibril axis and decreased strength (r = 0.53) and increased toughness (no cracking + μ = 0.55) parallel to the fibril axis.

Conclusions

Textured UHMWPE behaves like a fiber composite with high strength and toughness in well-defined directions. However, the effect of crosslinking on these specific properties is unknown and therefore it is important to verify that the properties are retained. If wear resistance of crosslinked-textured UHMWPE is at least as high as that of crosslinked UHMWPE, novel medical devices made of crosslinked-textured UHMWPE could be developed and clinically tested.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Mr. D. Murena from Ticona Benelux (Bruxelles, Belgium) for providing UHMWPE. We also express special thanks to Digital Surf Company (Besançon, France) for the use of the software Mountains Maps. Our special thanks go to Prof H. Garmestani and Dr. D. Li from Georgia Institute of Technology (Atlanta, GA) for their involvement and help with this work.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Advanced Materials and Structures Department, Public Research Centre Henri Tudor, 66 Rue de Luxembourg, 4221, Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg

    Frédéric Addiego PhD, Olivier Buchheit PhD & David Ruch PhD

  2. Institut de Mécanique des Fluides et des Solides, Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France

    Said Ahzi PhD

  3. Département Science et Ingénierie des Matériaux et Métallurgie, Institut Jean Lamour, Nancy, France

    Abdesselam Dahoun PhD

Authors
  1. Frédéric Addiego PhD
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  2. Olivier Buchheit PhD
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  3. David Ruch PhD
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  4. Said Ahzi PhD
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  5. Abdesselam Dahoun PhD
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Frédéric Addiego PhD.

Additional information

Each author certifies that he or she has no commercial associations (eg, consultancies, stock ownership, equity interest, or patent/licensing arrangements, etc) that might pose a conflict of interest in connection with the submitted article.

Each author certifies that his or her institution either has waived or does not require approval for the human protocol for this investigation and that all investigations were conducted in conformity with ethical principles of research.

This work was performed at Public Research Centre Henri Tudor, Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg, and Institut Jean Lamour, Nancy, France.

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Addiego, F., Buchheit, O., Ruch, D. et al. Does Texturing of UHMWPE Increase Strength and Toughness?: A Pilot Study. Clin Orthop Relat Res 469, 2318–2326 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11999-010-1716-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11999-010-1716-7

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