Tribological Behavior of Cartilage Replacement with the Presence of Bio-Lubrication

• Published in: Lecture Notes in Mechanical Engineering
• Main Author: Kazwa F.N.; Kasolang S.; Mahat M.M.
• Format: Conference paper
• Language: English
• Published: Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH 2023
• Online Access: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85161146782&doi=10.1007%2f978-981-19-9509-5_16&partnerID=40&md5=f58545f5d214df8301e9402643e3e01b

A healthy natural synovial joint is essential for the natural musculoskeletal system’s painless active movements. The practical implementation of natural synovial joints enables well-lubricated contact surfaces with a very low friction coefficient and cartilage tissue wear. As is well known, cartilage replacement is a highly effective treatment; yet, there are still wear and fatigue issues with the materials utilized in the implants. So, the present paper focused on bio-lubricant performance and mechanical responses toward Poly Lactic Acid (PLA) as a tibial insert for cartilage replacement in Total Knee Replacement (TKR) with the presence of bio-lubricants. Canola oil, castor oil, and sunflower seed oil are considered vegetable oils, whereas Hyaluronic Acid (HA) is the friction modifier. The tribological behavior of selected vegetable oil with modifier was studied using a pin-on-disc tribometer. After tribological tests, the Coefficient of Friction (CoF) and wear rate were studied. The results showed that castor oil had a lower coefficient of friction than canola and sunflower seed oil. In conclusion, castor oil outperforms canola and sunflower seed oil in terms of friction reduction. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.