抄録
Wear characteristics have been investigated in polyvinyl formal (PVF) as an artificial articular cartilage for joint prostheses. This bearing of the joint has been designed and constructed to produce larger initial contact areas and thicker theoretical film thickness than the conventional UHMWPE bearing. The main advantage of using the bearing may be associated with micro-elastohydrodynamic lubrication, and the low elastic modulus layer may also produce local deformations, which enhance squeeze film action. Wear tests were performed with a knee joint simulator. The PVF was adopted as the articular cartilage for the flat tibial component. The compliant bearing had a spherical surface that was made of stainless steel. The results showed that no detectable wear debris was generated in the simulation tests conducted over 1.0 million cycles. Although there still remain some problems to solve, the PVF seems to be a very interesting and promising material, which meets the requirements of artificial articular cartilage.
