Carbon fiber reinforced polyether ether ketone composite as a bearing surface for total hip replacement

This paper investigates the tribological performance of a carbon fiber rein forced PEEK composite as a bearing surface for total hip replacement. Exten sive hip joint simulator tests were conducted to optimize the microstructur e of the composite and the counterface material. A softer and more graphiti c carbon fiber is preferred to a harder and more abrasive fiber. A ceramic counterface is preferred to a metal counterface. An excellent wear couple w as identified to be a 30 wt% pitch-based carbon fiber reinforced PEEK compo site acetabular insert articulating against a zirconia ceramic head. When t ested on a hip simulator run for 10 million cycles, a reduction in the wear rate of almost two orders of magnitude was achieved with this wear couple in comparison to a conventional UHMWPE/metal or UHMWPE/ceramic couple. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.