The Role of Stripe Wear in Causing Acoustic Emissions From Alumina Ceramic-On-Ceramic Bearings

Noise from ceramic-on-ceramic hip bearings has been reported during specific patient activities. Wear stripes, which have been seen in some clinical retrievals, may be associated with bearing noise. We produced wear stripes on ceramic bearings in the laboratory and determined that, under certain conditions, noise could occur during either edge loading or joint simulation. Squeaking was not observed with bearings in their pristine condition. We concluded that wear stripes caused by edge loading may be associated with bearing noise, during either edge loading alone or during normal articulation.