A new finding on the in-vivo crevice corrosion damage in a CoCrMo hip implant

A detailed investigation was performed to characterize the fretting wear and corrosion damage to the neck component of a CoCrMo stem from a metal-on-polyethylene implant retrieved after 99months. The stem was a low-carbon (0.07wt%) wrought Co-28Cr-6Mo alloy with no secondary carbide phases in the matrix (γ-phase). The original design of the neck surface contained an intentionally fabricated knurled profile with a valley-to-peak range of approximately 11μm. Roughness measurements indicated that the tip of the knurled profile was significantly damaged, especially in the distal medial region of the neck, with up to a 22% reduction in the mean peak-to-valley height (R_a) compared to the original profile. As a new finding, the channels between the peaks of the profile created an additional crevice site in the presence of stagnant body fluid within the head-neck taper junction. These channels were observed to contain the most severe corroded areas and surface oxide layers with micro-cracks. SEM/EDS, XRD and XPS evaluations identified the formation of Cr₂O₃ as a corrosion product. Also, decobaltification was found to occur in these corroded areas. The findings of this work indicate the important role of the knurled profile in inducing additional crevice corrosion.