The influence of contact conditions and micromotions on the fretting behavior of modular titanium alloy taper connections

Modularity of femoral stems and neck components has become a more frequently used tool for an optimized restoration of the hip joint center and improvement of patient biomechanics. The additional taper interface increases the risk of mechanical failure due to fretting and crevice corrosion. Several failures of titanium alloy neck adapters have been documented in case-reports.An experimental fretting device was developed in this study to systematically investigate the effect of micromotion and contact pressure on fretting damage in contact situations similar to taper interfaces of modular hip prostheses under cyclic loading representative of in vivo load conditions. As a first application, the fretting behavior of Ti–6Al–4V titanium alloy components was investigated. Micromotions were varied between 10 μm and 50 μm, maximum contact pressures between 400 and 860 N/mm2. All modes of fretting damage were observed: Fretting wear was found for high micromotions in combination with low contact pressures. Fretting fatigue occurred with reduced movement or increased contact pressures. With small micromotions or high normal pressures, low fretting damage was observed. The developed device can be used to evaluate taper design (and especially contact geometry) as well as different materials prior to clinical use.