Knee and hip joint replacement implants involve a sliding contact between the femoral component and the tibial or acetabular component immersed in body fluids, thus making the metallic parts susceptible to tribocorrosion. Micro-motions occur at points of fixation leading to debris and ion release by fretting corrosion. β-Titanium alloys are potential biomaterials for joint prostheses due to the...

Fretting corrosion at the taper interface of modular hip implants has been implicated as a possible cause of implant failure. This study was set up to gain more insight in the taper mechanics that lead to fretting corrosion. The objectives of this study therefore were (1) to select experimental loading conditions to reproduce clinically relevant fretting corrosion features observed in retrieved...

Introduction: The evolution of third and fourth generation linked, semi-constrained total elbow replacements (TER) have employed an increasing use of modularity to facilitate component linkage and inter-operative flexibility. In general, modular connections (MC) used in orthopedic devices may carry inherent risks of adverse events resulting from component fracture, loosening, micromotion, frett...

Modularity in total hip arthroplasty provides multiple benefits to the surgeon in restoring the appropriate alignment and position to a previously damaged hip joint. The vast majority of modern implants incorporate modularity into their design with some implants having multiple modular interfaces. There is the potential for failure at modular junctions because of fretting and crevice corrosion ...

The aim of this article is to review those aspects of corrosion behaviour that are most relevant to the clinical application of implant alloys. The special modes of corrosion encountered by implant alloys are presented. The resistance of the different materials against the most typical corrosion modes (pitting corrosion, crevice corrosion and fretting corrosion) is compared, together with obser...

A modular femoral head-neck junction has practical advantages in total hip replacement. Taper fretting and corrosion have so far been an infrequent cause of revision. The role of design and manufacturing variables continues to be debated. Over the past decade several changes in technology and clinical practice might result in an increase in clinically significant taper fretting and corrosion. T...

Fretting is a surface-degradation process due to mechanical and chemical attack by small-amplitude oscillatory movement between two contacting surfaces and it is intimately related to wear, corrosion and fatigue. The introduction of surface treatments or coatings is expected to be an effective strategy against fretting damage. This paper discusses the application of several types of advanced su...

Modern primary total hip arthroplasty femoral components have evolved to include modular necks. Subsequently, the additional taper junction provides another interface as a potential source for mechanically assisted crevice corrosion, which is a complex process involving fretting and crevice corrosion. Furthermore, it is becoming evident that an adverse local tissue reaction may result in some p...