Abstract
PE cups with 0, 2.5, 50, 100 and 150 Mrad radiation treatments were run in a hip simulator, and we examined the cup surfaces for micro-wear phenomena and analysed the corresponding wear debris. In general, the size and frequency of the PE surface fibrils and the size of the retrieved PE debris decreased with increasing radiation dose. The PE fibrillar sizes and geometrical shape-factors on the cup surfaces correlated well with radiation dose. However, the trends for debris size and shape-factors as related to radiation dose were weak. Thus, the morphology of the PE-fibrils on the cup surfaces was more sensitive to variations in radiation dose than the actual wear debris produced in simulator tests.
