Wear in ceramic on ceramic type lumbar total disc replacement: Effect of radial clearance

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Shankar, S.^{a; *} | Kesavan, D.^b

Affiliations: [a] Department of Mechatronics Engineering, Kongu Engineering College, Erode, India | [b] M.E. CAD/CAM, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Kongu Engineering College, Erode, India

Correspondence: [*] Corresponding author: S. Shankar, Associate Professor, Department of Mechatronics Engineering, Kongu Engineering College, Erode, India. E-mail: shankariitm@gmail.com.

Abstract: The wear of the bearing surfaces of total disc replacement (TDR) is a key problem leads to reduction in the lifetime of the prosthesis and it mainly occurs due to the range of clearances of the articulating surface between the superior plate and core. The objective of this paper is to estimate the wear using finite element concepts considering the different radial clearances between the articulating surfaces of ceramic on ceramic type Lumbar Total Disc Replacement (LTDR). The finite element (FE) model was subjected to wear testing protocols according to loading profile of International Standards Organization (ISO) 18192 standards through 10 million cycles. The radial clearance value of 0.05 mm showed less volumetric wear when compared with other radial clearance values. Hence, low radial clearance values are suitable for LTDR to minimize the wear.

Keywords: Wear, total disc replacement, ceramic on ceramic, radial clearance, finite element method

DOI: 10.3233/BME-151544

Journal: Bio-Medical Materials and Engineering, vol. 26, no. 1-2, pp. 89-96, 2015