A comparative study of wear laws for soft-on-hard hip implants using a mathematical wear model

► A mathematical, parametric wear model for soft-on-hard hip implants was developed in Mathematica. ► The most recent UHMWPE wear laws, based on the cross-shear effect, were implemented and compared. ► Simulations highlighted the variability of wear predictions with the wear factors/laws. ► A sensitivity analysis showed that kinematic conditions affect wear more than loading ones. ► Despite some open issues on its evaluation, the main role of the cross-shear effect on wear comes out.