Evaluacion del comportamiento de materiales para protesis de rodilla en simulador de desgaste

The wear of materials used to manufacture knee prostheses, one of the main problems of these implants, was evaluated with a simulator. The simulator applied to samples loads and displacements similar to those borne by the prosthesis after implantation. The material pair CrCoMo vs high- molecular-weight polyethylene, the most widely used in the manufacture of this type of prostheses, was used as a reference to test in the simulator of an ionic implantation over both components, and coverings of titanium nitride and carbon on the metal component. Polyethylene wear was measured using gravimetric methods and laser perfilometry. The results showed that the titanium nitride covering was less resistant, while the ionic implantation and covering with titanium nitride and carbon reduced polyethylene wear compared with the reference materials of CrCoMo vs polyethylene.