简介:UltraHighMolecularWeightPolyethylene(UHMWPE)hasbeenwidelyusedasabearingmaterialforartificialjointreplacementoverfortyyears.Itisusuallycrosslinkedbygammaraysirradiationbeforeitsimplantationintohumanbody.Inthisstudy,UHMWPEandUHMWPE/nano-hydroxyapatite(n-HA)compositewerepreparedbyvacuumhot-pressingmethod.Thepreparedmaterialswereirradiatedbygammaraysinvacuumandmoltenheattreatedinvacuumjustafterirradiation.Theeffectoffillingn-HAwithgammairradiationontribologicalpropertiesofUHMWPEwasinvestigatedbyusingfrictionandwearexperimentalmachine(modelMM-200)underdeionizedwaterlubrication.Micro-morphologyofwornsurfacewasobservedbymetallographicmicroscope.Contactangleandhardnessofthematerialswerealsomeasured.Theresultsshowthatcontactangleandhardnessarechangedbyfillingn-HAandgammairradiation.Frictioncoefficientandwearrateunderdeionizedwaterlubricationarereducedbyfillingn-HA.Whilefrictioncoefficientisincreasedandwearrateisreducedsignificantlybygammairradiation.Thewornsurfaceofunfilledmaterialismainlycharacterizedasadhesivewearandabrasivewear,andthatofn-HAfilledmaterialismainlycharacterizedasabrasivewear.Aftergammairradiation,thedegreesofadhesiveandabrasivewearforunfilledmaterialandabrasivewearofn-HAfilledmaterialaresignificantlyreduced.Unfilledandfilledmaterialsafterirradiationaremainlyshownasslightfatiguewear.TheresultsindicatethatUHMWPEandUHMWPE/n-HAirradiatedatthedoseof150kGycanbeusedasbearingmaterialsinartificialjointsforitsexcellentwearresistancecomparedtooriginalUHMWPE.