The selection of biomaterials for bearing in total hip arthroplasty is very important to avoid various risks of primary postoperative failure for patients. The current investigation attempts to analyze the Tresca stress of metal-on-metal bearings with three different materials, namely, cobalt chromium molybdenum (CoCrMo), stainless steel 316L (SS 316L), and titanium alloy (Ti6Al4V). We used computational simulations using a 2D axisymmetric finite element model to predict Tresca stresses under physiological conditions of the human hip joint during normal walking. The simulation results show that Ti6Al4V-on-Ti6Al4V has the best performance to reduce Tresca stress by 45.76% and 39.15%, respectively, compared to CoCrMo-on-CoCrMo and SS 316L-on-SS 316L.

Wear and wear-induced debris is a significant factor in causing failure in implants. Reducing contact pressure by using a textured surface between the femoral head and acetabular cup is crucial to improving the implant’s life. This study presented the effect of surface texturing as dimples on the wear evolution of total hip arthroplasty. It was implemented by developing finite element analysis from the prediction model without dimples and with bottom profile dimples of flat, drill, and ball types. Simulations were carried out by performing 3D physiological loading of the hip joint under normal walking conditions. A geometry update was initiated based on the patient’s daily routine activities. Our results showed that the addition of dimples reduced contact pressure and wear. The bottom profile dimples of the ball type had the best ability to reduce wear relative to the other types, reducing cumulative linear wear by 24.3% and cumulative volumetric wear by 31% compared to no dimples. The findings demonstrated that surface texturing with appropriate dimple bottom geometry on a bearing surface is able to extend the lifetime of hip implants.

The choice of ceramic-on-ceramic coupling in total hip prosthesis has advantages over couplings with other combinations of materials that use polyethylene and metal materials in terms of high hardness, scratch resistance, low wear rate, and increased lubrication performance. To reduce the risk of primary postoperative failure, the selection of ceramic materials for ceramic-on-ceramic coupling is a strategic step that needs to be taken. The current study aims to analyze ceramic-on-ceramic coupling with commonly used ceramic materials, namely zirconium dioxide (ZrO₂), silicon nitride (Si₃N₄), and aluminium oxide (Al₂O₃), according to Tressa failure criterion for the investigation of the stress distribution. A two-dimensional axisymmetric finite element-based computational model has been used to evaluate the Tresca stress on ceramic-on-ceramic coupling under gait cycle. The results show that the use of ZrO₂-on-ZrO₂ couplings can reduce Tresca stress by about 17.34% and 27.23% for Si₃N₄-on-Si₃N₄ and Al₂O₃-on-Al₂O₃ couplings, respectively.

Due to various concerns about the use of metal-on-metal that is detrimental to users, the use of metal as acetabular cup material was later changed to ultra high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE). However, the wear on UHMWPE releases polyethylene wear particles, which can trigger a negative body response and contribute to osteolysis. For reducing the wear of polyethylene, one of the efforts is to investigate the selection of metal materials. Cobalt chromium molybdenum (CoCrMo), stainless steel 316L (SS 316L), and titanium alloy (Ti6Al4V) are the frequently employed materials. The computational evaluation of contact pressure was carried out using a two-dimensional axisymmetric model for UHMWPE acetabular cup paired with metal femoral head under gait cycle in this study. The results show Ti6Al4V-on-UHMWPE is able to reduce cumulative contact pressure compared to SS 316L-on-UHMWPE and CoCrMo-on-UHMWPE. Compared to Ti6Al4V-on-UHMWPE at peak loading, the difference in cumulative contact pressure to respective maximum contact pressure is 9.740% for SS 316L-on-UHMWPE and 11.038% for CoCrMo-on-UHMWPE.

The use of material for implant bearing has a vital role in minimizing failures that endanger implant recipients. Evaluation of contact pressure of bearing material can be the basis for material selection and have correlations with wear that contribute to the need of revision operations. The current paper aims to investigate three different metallic materials, namely cobalt chromium molybdenum (CoCrMo), stainless steel 316L (SS 316L), and titanium alloy (Ti6Al4V) for application in metal-on-metal bearing of total hip implant in terms of contact pressure. In silico model based on finite element simulation has been considered to predict contact pressure of metal-on-metal bearings under normal walking conditions. It is found that the use of Ti6Al-4V-on-Ti6Al4V is superior in its ability to reduce contact pressure by more than 35% compared to the other studied metal-on-metal couple bearings.