Wear studies on the likely performance of CFR-PEEK/CoCrMo for use as artificial joint bearing materials

It is well known that a reduction in the volume of wear produced by articulating surfaces in artificial joints is likely to result in a lower incidence of failure due to wear particle induced osteolysis. Therefore, new materials have been introduced in an effort to produce bearing surfaces with lower, more biologically acceptable wear. Polyetheretherketone (PEEK-OPTIMA) has been successfully used in a number of implant applications due to its combination of mechanical strength and biocompatibility. Pin-on-plate wear tests were performed on various combinations of PEEK-OPTIMA and carbon fibre reinforced PEEK-OPTIMA (CFR-PEEK) against various CoCrMo alloys to assess the potential of this material combination for use in orthopaedic implants. The PEEK/low carbon CoCrMo produced the highest wear. CFR-PEEK against high carbon or low carbon CoCrMo provided low wear factors. Pin-on-plate tests performed on ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) against CoCrMo (using comparable test conditions) have shown similar or higher wear than that found for CFR-PEEK/CoCrMo. This study gives confidence in the likelihood of this material combination performing well in orthopaedic applications.