Abstract:

Today, knee joint prosthesis is used extensively in surgical operations as a result of traffic accidents, sports injuries and in the deformation of the cartilage structure in the knee joint of individuals. However, depending on the conditions of use, it is necessary to determine the defects that may occur in the prosthetic components. In this study, it is aimed to observe the error mechanisms of ultra high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) insert component which is one of the knee joint prosthesis components during use. Therefore, the wear test with knee simulator was carried out in three different cycles; 1x106, 2x106 and 3x106. At the end of the tests, microscop images and mass loss measurements were taken from the medial and lateral condyles of the UHMWPE insert. According to the results, it is seen that due to the increase in the number of cycles, it is seen that pitting wear, capillary cracks, scratches, agglomerated particles and mass losses occur as a result of repetitive forces on different axes on UHMWPE insert component.

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