Separation and Extraction of Mixed Grinding Chips of Artificial Joints with Different Densities by Multiple Centrifugal Separations

Abstract

Aseptic loosening caused by the wear and tear of the artificial joint prosthesis after implantation is one of the main causes of artificial joint failure. Therefore, it is important to investigate the wear debris generated due to wear when developing new artificial joint materials. Aseptic loosening is related to the size, number, and morphology of wear debris, and this study proposed the separation and extraction of mixed wear debris with different density ratios of artificial joints by centrifugation to study the characteristics of different artificial joint wear and wear debris extraction rates. The results showed that multiple centrifugations to separate the mixed wear debris were able to reintroduce the wear debris on the wall of the centrifuge tube into the solution and that the wear debris extraction rate was increased. Suspensions with different density ratios of artificially jointed mixed wear debris were effectively separated by this method. The total extraction rate of the three repeated extractions compared to the first extraction rate, the extraction rate of CoCrMo wear debris increased by 6.7%, ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) wear debris increased by 15.1–23.44%, ZrO2 wear debris increased by 10.91%, and that of polyether ether ketone (PEEK) wear debris increased by 9.95%. This method for separating and extracting wear debris from artificial joints can realize the separation of mixed wear debris from artificial joints and obtain a high extraction rate and high-quality wear debris images, investigate the wear mechanism of artificial joint implants, and provide valuable information on the wear performance of new artificial joint implants under investigation.