On the Role of Surface Roughness in Ankle Joint Replacements

Abstract

Abstract
Research efforts in biomechanics have geared towards the long-term effectiveness and
survival of total joint replacements, because of osteoarthritis causes loosening, instability,
wear of articulating components and finally loss of function. Surface roughness of articulating
components significantly influences their tribological behavior. Other factors affecting the
wear of articulating surfaces include material and geometrical properties. In this work, the
human ankle joint is represented by an equivalent ellipsoid-on-plane model to study the effect
of surface roughness on the pressure profile, film shape, minimum film thickness, lambda
ratio ( λ ) and coefficient of friction in total joint replacements under steady-state conditions.
The main purpose here is to promote fluid film lubrication and therefore, reduce wear in
ankle joint replacements.
Keywords: EHL, Surface roughness, film thickness

Cite this Article
Puneet Katyal. On the role of surface roughness in ankle joint replacements. Research & Reviews: Journal of Physics. 2016; 5(3): 48–55p.