Biomechanics and Tribology

A special issue of Lubricants (ISSN 2075-4442).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2024) | Viewed by 2995

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Civil and Industrial Engineering, Università di Pisa, Largo Lucio Lazzarino 2, 56122 Pisa, Italy
Interests: biomechanics; tribology; human movement analysis; computational mechanics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Civil and Industrial Engineering, University of Pisa, Largo Lucio Lazzarino 2, 56126 Pisa, Italy
Interests: biotribology; computational biomechanics; motion analysis; vibration analysis
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

According to Hatze (1973), “Biomechanics is the study of the structure and functions of the biological systems by means of the methods of mechanics”. On the other hand, tribology investigates the interactions between articulating surfaces and mainly deals with friction, lubrication, and wear.

The combination of biomechanics and tribology constitutes a wide research field that covers synovial joint lubrication to tooth wear, from implant design to material tests. In this variety, methodological approaches can be very different, and can take the form of vitro and in vivo experimental studies, finite element and musculoskeletal computational models, and AI approaches.

We would like to invite researchers to contribute to this Special Issue and share their achievements in this exciting and growing field.

Dr. Francesca Di Puccio
Prof. Dr. Alessandro Ruggiero
Dr. Lorenza Mattei
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • biotribology
  • tribology
  • wear
  • friction
  • lubrication
  • biomechanics
  • musculoskeletal analysis
  • implants
  • artificial joints
  • natural joints

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

24 pages, 6499 KiB  
Article
Sliding Contact Fatigue Damage of Metallic Implants in a Simulated Body Fluid Environment
by Mihir V. Patel, Edward Cudjoe and Jae Joong Ryu
Lubricants 2024, 12(12), 437; https://doi.org/10.3390/lubricants12120437 (registering DOI) - 8 Dec 2024
Abstract
At the modular interface of the joint implants, repeated contact stresses in a corrosive synovial environment cause surface degradation that worsens over time. The lubricating mechanisms at the joints are altered by the deteriorated synovial fluid by the wear debris and corrosion products. [...] Read more.
At the modular interface of the joint implants, repeated contact stresses in a corrosive synovial environment cause surface degradation that worsens over time. The lubricating mechanisms at the joints are altered by the deteriorated synovial fluid by the wear debris and corrosion products. As a result, the joint implants’ unsatisfactory performance will be exacerbated by the synergistic combination of wear and corrosion. In this work, reciprocal sliding contact tests in simulated synovial fluid were conducted on the two main metallic implant materials, CoCrMo and Ti6Al4V. The mechanical and electrochemical reactions were described by monitoring the open-circuit potential (OCP) and coefficient of friction (COF). The electrochemical damage that altered the oxidation chemistry on both surfaces was illustrated by the potentiostatic test findings. The surface damage process of CoCrMo under all contact loads presented unstable chemomechanical responses. On the other hand, the Ti6Al4V results revealed a moderate decrease in fretting current and stable changes in the coefficient of friction. Consequently, the experimental investigation determined that, when mechanical loadings and electrochemical stimulus are combined, Ti6Al4V’s biocompatibility would be superior to CoCrMo’s. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomechanics and Tribology)
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17 pages, 6345 KiB  
Article
Enhancing the Tribological Properties of Bearing Surfaces in Hip Arthroplasty by Shot-Peening the Metal Surface
by Chavarat Jarungvittayakon, Anak Khantachawana and Paphon Sa-ngasoongsong
Lubricants 2024, 12(8), 278; https://doi.org/10.3390/lubricants12080278 - 3 Aug 2024
Viewed by 778
Abstract
Total hip arthroplasty (THA) is a surgical procedure for patients with pain and difficulty walking due to hip osteoarthritis. In primary THA, the acetabulum and femoral head are replaced by a prosthesis where the modular femoral head and inner liner of the acetabulum [...] Read more.
Total hip arthroplasty (THA) is a surgical procedure for patients with pain and difficulty walking due to hip osteoarthritis. In primary THA, the acetabulum and femoral head are replaced by a prosthesis where the modular femoral head and inner liner of the acetabulum form the bearing surface. The most popular bearing surface used in the United States, metal-on-polyethylene, consists of a cobalt–chromium molybdenum (CoCrMo) alloy femoral head that articulates with a polyethylene acetabular liner, typically made of highly cross-linked polyethylene. While successful in most cases, THA sometimes fails, commonly from aseptic loosening due to the wear debris of polyethylene. Fine-particle shot peening (FPSP) is a simple method for enhancing the mechanical properties and surface properties of metal, including reducing friction and enhancing the lubrication properties of the metal surface. In this study, we applied FPSP to the CoCr in the femoral head of a hip prosthesis to improve its surface properties and conducted experiments with pin-on-disc tribometers using CoCr as a pin and highly cross-linked polyethylene as a disc to mimic the THA implant. The results show that FPSP significantly enhances the tribological properties of the CoCr surface, including lubrication; decreases the friction coefficient; and decreases the polyethylene wear volume. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomechanics and Tribology)
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14 pages, 3210 KiB  
Article
A Novel Methodology for Simulating Skin Injury Risk on Synthetic Playing Surfaces
by Maxwell MacFarlane, Eric O’Donnell, Eric Harrison, Marc Douglas, Neale Lees and Peter Theobald
Lubricants 2024, 12(6), 207; https://doi.org/10.3390/lubricants12060207 - 6 Jun 2024
Viewed by 957
Abstract
Artificial turf provides a consistent and durable surface; however, it has historically been associated with a high skin injury risk, or a ‘friction burn’, when a player falls or slides. Second-generation surfaces feature a short carpet pile, whilst third generation (3G) carpet piles [...] Read more.
Artificial turf provides a consistent and durable surface; however, it has historically been associated with a high skin injury risk, or a ‘friction burn’, when a player falls or slides. Second-generation surfaces feature a short carpet pile, whilst third generation (3G) carpet piles are longer, enabling the integration of a performance infill. 3G surfaces provide sufficient energy absorption characteristics to be approved as Rugby Turf; however, such pitches can still cause skin injuries, despite being assessed using a friction-based test. Reducing skin injury risk motivates this study to develop a more sensitive testing methodology. A new test apparatus and impactor are proposed, achieving kinematics representative of an elite male rugby tackle. A commercially available skin simulant is employed to ensure the collection of repeatable and valid data. Photography and thresholding were used to assess surface abrasion and material transfer, whilst a thermal camera captured surface temperature change. Accelerometers quantified the surface resistance during the impact and sliding phases. These metrics were compiled into the Maxwell Tribo Index (MTI), providing a single measure of skin injury risk. The results demonstrated good repeatability and validity when four teams tested four different 3G surfaces. These results compared favourably to an expert panel’s ranked order. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomechanics and Tribology)
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