Improved friction and wear performance of micro dimpled ceramic-on-ceramic interface for hip joint arthroplasty

The purpose of this study is to investigate the tribological effect of micro-dimpled surface textures for application in ceramic-on-ceramic hip prostheses. A rectangular array of circular dimples was selected as the texture pattern. A CNC micro drilling machine was used to fabricate these dimples on a flat ceramic substrate. Tribology tests were performed by using a pin-on-disk method with selected hertzian contact pressures and speeds based on normal gait of a hip joint, and results compared with non-dimpled surface. A dimpled surface with large dimple diameters and a high dimple density (Ø400 µm and density 15%) showed significant tribological performance gains, including a nearly 22% friction and 53% wear reduction.