The influence of irradiation dose on mechanical properties and wear resistance of molded and extruded ultra high molecular weight polyethylene

Ultra high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) is a type of biomedical material used in total joint replacement. In this study, molded and extruded UHMWPE was used to investigate the influence of irradiation dose on its mechanical properties and wear resistance. The results of tensile and compressive tests showed that tensile properties decreased as the irradiation dose increased. Compressive properties decreased significantly after irradiation, but then increased as the irradiation dose increased. Microhardness also had a similar variety tendency as compressive properties. It could be corresponding to the variety of crystallinity for UHMWPE. The fracture surfaces of tensile samples indicated that molded and extruded UHMWPE had a similar fracture mechanism, although the tensile properties were significantly different. The wear tests of knee joint moving simulator showed that the wear rate of molded and extruded UHMWPE decreased as the irradiation dose increased, and a significant reduction of wear rate was exhibited till the irradiation dose of 100 kGy under saline lubrication, and 150 kGy under calf serum lubrication. The IR results indicated that packaging and remelting in vacuum was an effective method to remove oxygen in UHMWPE blocks.