Wear of ceramic-on-carbon fiber-reinforced poly-ether ether ketone hip replacements

Total hip replacement has been a successful surgical intervention for over 50 years, with the majority of bearings using a polyethylene cup. Long-term failure due to osteolysis and loosening has been widely documented and alternative bearings have been sought. A novel carbon fiber-reinforced poly-ether ether ketone (CFR-PEEK) cup was investigated through experimental friction and wear studies. Friction studies demonstrated the bearings operated in a boundary lubrication condition, with friction factors higher than those for other hip replacement bearings. The wear study was conducted with 36 mm diameter bearings tested against Biolox Delta heads for a period of 10 million cycles. The mean volumetric wear rate was 0.3 mm(3)/Mc, indicating the ceramic-on-CFR-PEEK bearing to be a very low wearing option for total hip replacement.