DEVELOPMENT OF AN ADVANCED CERAMIC/TITANIUM ALLOY KNEE JOINT

Ceramic bearing surfaces have been used over the last 25 years as a clinical solution to the polyethylene wear debris which has been attributed as the major cause of aseptic loosening in total hip arthroplasties. Research has continued over the last 15 years to transpose the technology from the hip to the knee. Monolithic ceramic knee devices have been implanted, mainly in Japan, but the problem of the femoral fixation has remained. The improvement in the polyethylene materials, coupled with the more congruent knee designs, has focused the major issue to wear particle generation as opposed to fatigue or delamination.

The focus of the Brite EuRam project “Advanced Metal to Ceramic Joining Techniques To Optimise low-friction knee prostheses” was to address the issue of fixation in conjunction with the optimum ceramic bearing surface. This was achieved by the development of a biocompatible active alloy braze for joining medical grade Y-TZP zirconia to titanium alloy. Through optimised chemistry and processing conditions a high strength active alloy braze joint was obtained that satisfied all biological and mechanical requirements.

Extensive Finite Element analysis, mechanical, fatigue, wear and compression strength testing were performed to validate the new concept.