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Ph.D.,Dept. of Orthopaedic Surgery, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, 2009. / Total hip replacement (THR) is an effective method of treatment for patients with hip disability. The procedure is capable of providing long-term functional improvement with excellent control of pain and restoration of function. Sir J Charnley developed a concept of low friction arthroplasty, which was based on use of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene acetabular and stainless steel femoral components. The components were attached to bone with the use of polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) bone cement. This concept has been very successful, and is considered the gold standard of THR. Aseptic loosening of the prosthetic components remains the single most important reason for failure of THRs. Wear to the ultra high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) acetabular cup is a well-known cause of osteolysis and aseptic loosening of the components. Thus, substantial improvement to the wear resistance of UHMWPE could extend the clinical life span of total hip replacements. In an attempt to reduce polyethylene wear and subsequent osteolysis, a method was developed in the early seventies in South Africa to improve polyethylene quality by means of gamma ray cross-linking. The acetabular cup was irradiated with 100 Kilogray in an acetylene environment, which was used as a cross-linking gas material, resulting in improvement of UHMWPE wear resistance. Influenced by the world trend and with the advent of a ceramic bearing surface, the Project of cross-linking was, to a certain extent, forgotten. Patients followed up in the late 1990s, showed minimal or total absence of wear after 15 years or longer. 3 Based on my preliminary studies, and anticipating the world trend of acceptance of cross- link UHMWPE, the aim of this research is to consolidate the results from the largest long term group of patients with acetylene cross-link UHMWPE, to study polyethylene gamma irradiated in the presence of a cross-linking acetiylene gas and the effects of it, in vitro, using a hip simulator. I was planning to communicate with as many patients as possible from the group operated on from 1977 until 1983 in whom cross-link UHMWPE was used. This group of over thousand patients represents the largest group of patients with cross-linked UHMWPE acetabular components in the world, with the longest clinical follow up of over 20 years on average. The first part of the research is a retrospective study: The goal was to contact as many patients as possible who were operated on during the period 1977 to 1983 when cross-linked polyethylene was used. To qualified for the study each patient had to have an early postoperative and the latest follow up radiograph. The radiological study consisted of the radiological measurement of wear. For this purpose the Hip Analysis Suite program was used. This is a software program designed by Dr John M. Martell from the University of Chicago, which is widely used and internationally accepted for that purpose. Image analysis offers significant improvements in reproducibility and accuracy when compared to manual analysis. 4 The final results were compared with results of polyethylene wear in patients in whom conventional UHMWPE was used. For this comparison only patients with acetabular components made from the same UHMWPE material and from the same supplier were used. The conventional UHMWPE is a component of the gold standard of hip replacement surgery. World-wide published follow up studies of 15 years and longer using conventional UHMWPE were compared to the cross-link UHMWPE group. If revision surgery was indicated for whatever reason in patients in with cross-linked UHMWPE acetabular components, the retrieved prosthesis was analyzed. The analysis consisted of examination of the articular surface of the cross-linked acetabular component for micro wear phenomena using a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). In order to perform an objective analysis of the retrieved components, two independent laboratories were used, namely: Peterson Tribology Laboratory, Loma Linda University, California, and Biomechanical Laboratory, Faculty of Engineering, University of Pretoria. The analyses were possible thanks to collaboration with Dr Ian Clark from Peterson Tribology Laboratory and Dr NDL Burger in charge of the Biomechanical Laboratory at the Department of Engineering, University of Pretoria

O polietileno de ultra alto peso molecular (UHMWPE) é um plástico de engenharia que tem várias aplicações atualmente, mormente em áreas específicas da indústria e da medicina. O UHMWPE pode ser utilizado ainda em outras aplicações: defensas portuárias; guias de corrente; revestimentos de caçambas, silos e calhas; engrenagens; buchas; guias de correias e próteses cirúrgicas. Esta gama de aplicações se deve ao fato das excelentes características técnicas que este material possui, como: alta resistência a abrasão, elevada resistência ao impacto, anti-aderência, atóxico, excelente resistência química, baixo peso específico, fácil usinagem e alta resistência a fadiga. Os tipos de polietileno de ultra alto peso molecular (UHMWPE) utilizados neste trabalho foram o UTEC 3041 e UTEC 6541 da Braskem. A reciclabilidade do UHMWPE ganhou interesse, porque a utilização desta matéria-prima na última década cresceu mais de 600%, tornando-se um dos plásticos de engenharia mais utilizados para obtenção de peças usinadas depois da poliamida. Com o crescimento na utilização deste polímero na confecção de peças para maquinários, o seu desperdício tem sido muito grande, porque o resto deste material é desprezado, geralmente não sendo reaproveitado. Este trabalho tem como objetivo reciclar o UHMWPE UTEC 3041 e estudar as propriedades deste material virgem e reciclado e comparar os resultados entre si e com o UHMWPE UTEC 6541, e com estes materiais submetidos a diferentes doses de radiação. / Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene (UHMWPE) is an engineering plastic which has several applications, chiefly, in specific areas of the industry and medicine. UHMWPE can be even for other applications such as: port fenders, current guide, bucket coating, silos and gutters, plugs, pulleys and surgical prosthesis. This range of applications is due to the excellent technical characteristics that this material owns, such as; high resistance to wear, high resistance to impact, anti-adherence, non toxic, excellent chemical resistance, low specific weight, easy mill processing, and high resistance to fatigue. The UHMWPE type used in this work were UTEC 3041 and UTEC 6541 of the Braskem. The recycling process of UHMWPE raised much interest, because the utilization of this rawmaterial grew over 600% in the last decade, becoming one of the most used engineering plastics for attainment of mill processed parts after polyamide. As the utilization of this polymer in the manufacturing of parts for machinery has grown, its waste is very big, because the rest of this material is thrown out, usually not being reused. The goal of this work is to recycle the UHMWPE UTEC 3041 and study the properties of this recycled and virgin material and compare the results between both with these materials submitted to different radiation dose.

O polietileno de ultra alto peso molecular (UHMWPE) é um plástico de engenharia que tem várias aplicações atualmente, mormente em áreas específicas da indústria e da medicina. O UHMWPE pode ser utilizado ainda em outras aplicações: defensas portuárias; guias de corrente; revestimentos de caçambas, silos e calhas; engrenagens; buchas; guias de correias e próteses cirúrgicas. Esta gama de aplicações se deve ao fato das excelentes características técnicas que este material possui, como: alta resistência a abrasão, elevada resistência ao impacto, anti-aderência, atóxico, excelente resistência química, baixo peso específico, fácil usinagem e alta resistência a fadiga. Os tipos de polietileno de ultra alto peso molecular (UHMWPE) utilizados neste trabalho foram o UTEC 3041 e UTEC 6541 da Braskem. A reciclabilidade do UHMWPE ganhou interesse, porque a utilização desta matéria-prima na última década cresceu mais de 600%, tornando-se um dos plásticos de engenharia mais utilizados para obtenção de peças usinadas depois da poliamida. Com o crescimento na utilização deste polímero na confecção de peças para maquinários, o seu desperdício tem sido muito grande, porque o resto deste material é desprezado, geralmente não sendo reaproveitado. Este trabalho tem como objetivo reciclar o UHMWPE UTEC 3041 e estudar as propriedades deste material virgem e reciclado e comparar os resultados entre si e com o UHMWPE UTEC 6541, e com estes materiais submetidos a diferentes doses de radiação. / Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene (UHMWPE) is an engineering plastic which has several applications, chiefly, in specific areas of the industry and medicine. UHMWPE can be even for other applications such as: port fenders, current guide, bucket coating, silos and gutters, plugs, pulleys and surgical prosthesis. This range of applications is due to the excellent technical characteristics that this material owns, such as; high resistance to wear, high resistance to impact, anti-adherence, non toxic, excellent chemical resistance, low specific weight, easy mill processing, and high resistance to fatigue. The UHMWPE type used in this work were UTEC 3041 and UTEC 6541 of the Braskem. The recycling process of UHMWPE raised much interest, because the utilization of this rawmaterial grew over 600% in the last decade, becoming one of the most used engineering plastics for attainment of mill processed parts after polyamide. As the utilization of this polymer in the manufacturing of parts for machinery has grown, its waste is very big, because the rest of this material is thrown out, usually not being reused. The goal of this work is to recycle the UHMWPE UTEC 3041 and study the properties of this recycled and virgin material and compare the results between both with these materials submitted to different radiation dose.

Ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) is used worldwide as a bearing material in total joint replacement prostheses. Despite its excellent biocompatibility and high wear resistance, wear of UHMWPE components continues to be a major problem limiting the clinical lifespan of UHMWPE-containing orthopaedic implant devices. Multi-directional motion or cross-path motion is known to affect wear rates of UHMWPE in total knee and hip replacement prostheses. The purpose of this study was to quantify the effect of counterface roughness on the cross-path wear of UHMWPE and to determine if the previously established unified theory of wear model could accurately predict wear rates in an abrasive wear environment. UHMWPE pins were articulated against both smooth (centerline roughness, Ra, of 0.015 µm) and rough (Ra = 0.450µm) cobalt-chromium counterfaces in a series of six rectangular wear paths (width = A, length = B) with systematically increasing aspect ratios (B/A) and linear tracking (A = 0), all with identical path lengths (20mm) per cycle. Gravimetric weight loss was converted into volumetric wear rates and wear factors, k. The results showed that for both smooth and rough-counterface tests, wear reached a maximum when a 3mmx7mm wear path was employed. The unified theory of wear was generally accurate in predicting wear rates; however, for rough-counterface tests there was a larger increase in the wear factor for higher aspect ratio rectangular wear paths. The ratio [k rough/ k smooth] decreased monotonically as a function of increasing width of rectangles, normalized by total path length, or A/(A +B). This study showed that wear of UHMWPE articulating in a rectangular motion path likely occurs via a two-step mechanism beginning with molecular orientation followed by material fracture from the UHMWPE surface. The models inability to accurately predict UHMWPE wear for rectangular paths with lower aspect ratios suggests that there may be other operative wear mechanisms including significant re-orientation in the perpendicular sliding direction. In conclusion, it is possible to predict the wear behavior of UHMWPE using mathematical models. A robust model would have an important role in characterizing and predicting performance of currently used and potential future orthopaedic implant materials.

The presented work deals with the creation of computational model of total hip endoprosthesis and the subsequent stress-strain analysis. The models of geometry of the pelvis and femur were created on base of CT data. In this model were fitted components od endoprosthesis, i.e. femoral stem and acetabular cup (metal and polyethylene pad) and also cement. On this system was subsequently modelled the rals loads conditions. Just the real loading of the prosthesis leads to the wear. It has a great influence on the quality of bone tissue, what is deteriorated. The deteriorated tissue was simulated under the acetabular component. The behaviour of the whole system is assessed on base of stress-strain analysis. This problems is very topical these days.

In this study, novel lamination techniques are introduced for the coating of fabrics in order to enhance their ballistic/needle penetration resistance properties. Pressure sensitive adhesive (PSA) was used to create flexible ballistic composite panels with ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) fabric. An increase in processing pressure from 0.1 to 8 MPa significantly improved the ballistic performance against 9 mm FMJ ammunition of UHMWPE composite. The number of layers required to stop the bullet were reduced from 45 to 22 layers after lamination without a significant increase in stiffness. The backface signature (BFS) was reduced from 19.2 mm for the 45 layer neat samples to 11.7 mm for the 25 layer laminated samples pressed at 8 MPa. The second lamination technique used patterned thermoplastic hot film to create flexible UHMWPE composite laminates. Hexagonal patterns were cut through a heat transfer vinyl carrier sheet using a vinyl cutter and was used as a mask between the UHMWPE fabric and hot film during heat treatment in order to have the fabric coated only on those regions. The patterns had a nominal diameter of 27.9 mm with a 1 mm gap between each region. A significant improvement in the ballistic performance of UHMWPE fabric is observed after coating each individual layer with patterned hot film and 25 layers of laminated fabric were sufficient to stop a .357 magnum FMJ ammunition compared to unlaminated neat fabric which required 45 layers to stop the bullet. Patterning of the hot film did not negatively affect the ballistic performance of the composite laminates whilst increasing their flexibility in relation to using plain hot film with no patterning involved. It resulted in a 21% increase in bending angle of the 25 layer samples v and 9.5% reduction in bending length of the single plies which both relate to greater flexibility because a higher bending angle and lower bending length correlates to more flexibility. The same technique of patterning of hot film is used in the lamination of woven cotton fabric to enhance needle penetration resistance properties whilst maintaining the flexibility. Patterns used in this study were either hexagonal or a combination of hexagons and triangles and the nominal diameter ranged from 2.6-13.5 mm. The lamination significantly improved the 25G hypodermic needle penetration resistance of the fabric. By increasing the number of laminated fabric plies from 1 to 2, the needle resistance force increased by up to 150%. However, in comparison to just one layer, the flexibility decreased by about 12% to 26% for two and three layers, respectively. It was observed that reducing the sizes of the patterns improved the flexibility of the samples by up to 30% without compromising the needle penetration resistance. / Thesis / Master of Applied Science (MASc)

This work examines the chemical and physical effects of a material treatment process on the biopolymers PEEK, POM-h, POM-c, PTFE and UHMWPE. The polymers are analyzed physically and chemically using atomic force microscopy, profilometry, scanning electron microscopy, optical microscopy, contact angle measurement, FT infra-red spectroscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry. PEEK is found to be the most suitable polymer and FT Infra-red spectroscopy an informative analytic tool.

Submitted by Johnny Rodrigues (johnnyrodrigues@ufcg.edu.br) on 2018-04-13T17:46:55Z No. of bitstreams: 1 MÁRCIA CRISTINA DE MORAES REIS RIBEIRO - DISSERTAÇÃO PPG-CEMat 2014..pdf: 1739612 bytes, checksum: 483de315f077aaf3a1be5bb9bddc6639 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-04-13T17:46:55Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 MÁRCIA CRISTINA DE MORAES REIS RIBEIRO - DISSERTAÇÃO PPG-CEMat 2014..pdf: 1739612 bytes, checksum: 483de315f077aaf3a1be5bb9bddc6639 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-07-16 / O polietileno de ultra alto peso molecular (PEUAPM) é um polímero com excelentes propriedades físicas e mecânicas tendo como mais notáveis a sua inércia química, a lubricidade, resistência impacto e resistência a abrasão. Exibe um papel relevante no sucesso na Artroplastia Total de Joelho (ATJ) e Artroplastia Total de Quadril (ATQ). A Artroplastia se caracteriza pela substituição da articulação natural por uma articulação artificial. As articulações artificiais são formadas por um conjunto de componentes, sendo fabricados de matéria prima metálica ou cerâmica e um componente, normalmente feito em PEUAPM, que é interposto entre componentes metálicos. Alguns fatores contribuem para um maior desgaste do componente de polietileno. Os componentes fabricados em polietileno PEUAPM não possuem fotoestabilizadores. E em inspeções realizadas em fabricantes e distribuidores destes produtos foi observado que durante seu processamento fabril e comercialização eles não são adequadamente protegidos da iluminação direta. As características consideradas importantes para o desempenho in vitro destes dispositivos estão definidas em normas técnicas, mas muitas destas normas somente recomendam determinados requisitos considerados importantes do ponto de vista técnico. Atualmente a área de materiais de uso em saúde trabalha em regulamentos que visam instituir os requisitos mínimos para registro de implantes ortopédicos. Desta forma, este trabalho propôs avaliar as possíveis alterações de componentes fabricados em polietileno de ultra alto peso molecular utilizados em procedimentos cirúrgicos de artroplastia e joelho e quadril, exposto a radiação ultravioleta. O trabalho foi dividido em 4 grupos: grupo 1 (material não exposto a UV); grupo 2 (material exposto a UV por 1h); grupo 3 (material exposto a UV por 24h) e grupo 4 (material exposto a UV por 48h). Todas as amostras foram caracterizadas por Difração de Raio X (DRX), Espectroscopia de Absorção de Infravermelho por Transformada de Fourier (FTIR), Microscopia Ótica (MO), Microscopia Eletrônica de Varredura (MEV) com mapeamento por EDS e Microscopia de Força Atômica (AFM) com o intuito de avaliar as possíveis degradações do PEUAPM submetidos a radiação UV. Os resultados demonstraram que a exposição do polímero a radiação UV em todos os tempos testados neste trabalho promoveu alterações nas amostras, pois foi observado, principalmente, nos ensaios de DRX e EDS que ocorreu respectivamente, um discreto aumento da cristalinidade do material e diminuição no percentual de oxigênio. Desta forma, pode-se concluir que o aumento da cristalinidade pode, pela ação da radiação UV, afetar nas propriedades do material contribuindo para o aumento do desgaste e diminuição do tempo de vida útil do implante. / The polyethylene, ultra high molecular weight (UHMWPE) is a polymer with excellent physical and mechanical properties with the most notable its chemical inertness, lubricity, impact resistance and abrasion resistance. Displays a relevant role in the successful Total Knee Arthroplasty (TKA) and Total Hip Arthroplasty (THA). The arthroplasty is characterized by replacement of the natural joint with an artificial joint. Artificial joints are formed by a set of components, being manufactured from metal or ceramic raw material and a component normally done in UHMWPE, which is interposed between the metal components. Some factors contribute to increased wear of the polyethylene component. Components manufactured in polyethylene UHMWPE not have photostabilizers. And inspections on manufacturers and distributors of these products was observed that during its industrial processing and marketing they are not adequately protected from direct light. Characteristics considered important for the in vitro performance of these devices are set in technical standards, but many of these standards only recommend certain requirements considered important from a technical standpoint. Currently the area of materials for use in healthcare working on regulations that seek to establish the minimum requirements for registration of orthopedic implants. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the possible changes of components manufactured in polyethylene, ultra high molecular weight used in surgical procedures and knee arthroplasty and hip, exposed to ultraviolet radiation. The work was divided into 4 groups: group 1 (material not exposed to UV); group 2 (material exposed to UV for 1 h); group 3 (material exposed to UV for 24 h) and group 4 (material exposed to UV for 48 h). All samples were characterized by X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Absorption Spectroscopy Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR), optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with EDS mapping and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) in order to evaluate the possible degradation of UHMWPE subjected to UV radiation. The results showed that exposure of the polymer to UV radiation at all times tested in this study modified the samples, it was observed mainly in the experimental XRD and EDS which occurred respectively a slight increase in crystallinity and decrease in the percentage oxygen. Thus, it can be concluded that the increase in crystallinity can by the action of UV radiation, affect the material properties contributing to increased wear and reduced useful life of the implant.

This work examines the chemical and physical effects of a material treatment process on the biopolymers PEEK, POM-h, POM-c, PTFE and UHMWPE. The polymers are analyzed physically and chemically using atomic force microscopy, profilometry, scanning electron microscopy, optical microscopy, contact angle measurement, FT infra-red spectroscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry. PEEK is found to be the most suitable polymer and FT Infra-red spectroscopy an informative analytic tool.