Effect of dynamic loading versus static loading on the frictional behavior of a UHMWPE pin in artificial biolubricants

To obtain reliable results from in vitro measurements on the tribological behavior of joint implant materials, the parameters of the measurements must simulate in vivo conditions. Although the nature of the load in human joints is dynamic, most of the studies using simple pin-on-disk tribometers were performed with a constant load. The current study focused on investigating the effect of dynamic loading in comparison with static loading in the tribological behavior of ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) sliding against a cobalt chromium molybdenum (CoCrMo) counter surface with different lubricants, where the effects of hyaluronic acid (HA) and protein content in the lubricants were also investigated. The results suggested that although the dynamic loading did not affect the friction evolution for any of the lubricants, the friction value decreased for the lubricants that did not contain HA. The results showed that higher protein content in the lubricant increased the friction coefficient, however, it provided the highest protection against wear for sliding surfaces.