About the relevance of roughness parameters used for characterizing worn femoral heads

This study aims to contribute to the definition of a methodology, which can help to select a relevant roughness parameter with a view to describing the topography of orthopaedic bearing surfaces. In this investigation, the surface topography of a retrieved titanium alloy (TA6V) femoral head was characterized using visual inspection, optical microscopy and three-dimensional contacting profilometry. A numerical analysis of roughness measurements was then undertaken to assess in a first step the values of different roughness parameters of interest found in papers dealing with the topography of orthopaedic bearing surfaces. In a second step, the Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and the Computer-Based Bootstrap Method were combined to determine statistically, and without preconceived opinion, which of those parameters is the most relevant to describe the different investigated worn regions of the studied femoral head.