Artificial hip joint
1. Introduction
It has been recognised by a good number of researchers that the computation of
the pressure distribution and contact area of artificial hip joints during daily activities
can play a key role in predicting prosthetic implant wear [1], [2], [3] and [4]. The
Hertzian contact theory has been considered to evaluate the contact parameters,
namely the maximum contact pressure and contact area by using the finite element
method [1] and [2]. Mak and his co-workers [1] studied the contact mechanics in
ceramic-on-ceramic (CoC) hip implants subjected to micro-separation and it was
shown that contact stress increased due to edge loading and it was mainly dependent
on the magnitude of cup-liner separation, the radial clearance and the cup inclination
angle [3] and [4]. In fact, Hertzian contact theory can captured slope and curvature
trends associated with contact patch geometry subjected to the applied load to predict
the contact dimensions accurately in edge-loaded ceramic-on-ceramic hips [5].
Although the finite element analysis is a popular approach for investigating contact
mechanics, discrete element technique has also been employed to predict contact
pressure in hip joints [6]. As computational instability can occur when the contact
nodes move near the edges of the contact elements, a contact smoothing approach by
applying Gregory patches was suggested [7]. Moreover, the contributions of
individual muscles and the effect of different gait patterns on hip contact forces are of
interest, which can be determined by using optimisation techniques and inverse
dynamic analyses [8] and [9]. In addition, contact stress and local temperature at the
contact region of dry-sliding couples during wear tests of CoC femoral heads can
experimentally be assessed by applying fluorescence microprobe spectroscopy [10].
The contact pressure distribution on the joint bearing surfaces can be used to
determine the heat generated by friction and the volumetric wear of artificial hip
joints [11] and [12]. Artificial hip joint moment due to friction and the kinetics of hip
implant components may cause prosthetic implant components to loosen, which is one
of the main causes of failure of hip replacements. Knee and hip joints' moment values
during stair up and sit-to-stand motions can be evaluated computationally [13]. The
effect of both body-weight-support level and walking speed was investigated on mean
peak internal joint moments at ankle, knee and hip [14]. However, in-vivo study of
the friction moments acting on the hip demands more research in order to assess
whether those findings could be generalised was carried out [15].
The hypothesis of the present study is that friction-induced vibration and
stick/slip friction could affect maximum contact pressure and moment of artificial hip
joints. This desideratum is achieved by developing a multibody dynamic model that is
able to cope with the usual difficulties of available models due to the presence of
muscles, tendons and ligaments, proposing a simple dynamic body diagram of hip
implant. For this purpose, a cross section through the interface of ball, stem and