METAL-CERAMIC COMPOSITE ARTICULATION

摘要

A ceramic-metal composite articulation is provided with substantial elimination of wear debris, wherein a ceramic material is provided with superior mechanical properties tailored for articulating with ceramic articulations having high flexural strength (greater than about 700 MPa,) high fracture toughness (greater than about 7MPam<1/2>) and a high Weibull modulus (greater than about 20), in comparison with presently available bio-ceramics such as alumina or zirconia. The mechanical property enhancement enables ceramic materials with greater reliability and significantly reduced in-vivo fracture risk to be obtained. Preliminary in-vitro wear performance, to several million cycles using established test protocols, of head/cup components in a prosthetic hip joint made from these ceramics also demonstrates the ultra low wear characteristics. These material properties substantially eliminate PE wear debris mediated implant failures by offering an optimal combination of bio-mechanical safety and reliability with ultra low wear performance.