Influence of acetabular cup rim design on the contact stress during edge loading in ceramic-on-ceramic hip prostheses

The purpose of the study was to investigate the contact stresses in 3 different acetabular cup rim designs (new, worn, chamfer) during edge loading, after microseparation of ceramic on ceramic hip prostheses. A 3-dimensional finite element analysis was conducted for a 28-mm diameter alumina ceramic bearing with a radial clearance of 40 μm using a normal load of 2500 N under edge loading. At a separation distance of 250 μm, the maximum tensile stress in the "new" design was of similar magnitude to the flexural strength of the alumina material that supports the localized breakdown (stripe wear) of the acetabular cup surface observed clinically. Introducing a 2.5-mm radius chamfer should reduce the maximum tensile stress in the region of 60%.