Hip tribology

The hip is a complex joint system which carries much of the weight of the body. It has sophisticated interactions between cartilage, bone, synovial fluid and other connective tissue. Due to degeneration of the joint, the use of artificial hip joints has become necessary. With an increasing number of the ageing population requiring total hip replacements at a younger age (caused by both unhealthy and a more active lifestyles), it is necessary to try and improve the design and longevity of the implant. Due to the sophistication of the hip joint, and the ambition to improve the longevity, it is necessary to understand the principles of operation of the biological hip joint as well as its tribological behaviour. The purpose of the work at the University of Pretoria is focussed on:

• Development of an understanding of synovial joints, in particular the hip joint and its components;
• Development of an understanding of the fundamentals of tribology and learn how it is applied to artificial hip joints;
• Review current literature on the biotribology of hip joints, with focus on hip implants; and
• Development of mathematical models describing the behaviour of synovial fluid.

Current/Previous projects

2006

Neil Pieterse, Development of a dynamic hip joint simulation model
Masters Dissertation | Project Files | Matlab Code

2007

Shatish Ramjee, Numerical Analysis of Lubrication in an Artificial Hip Joint
Masters Dissertation | Project Files | Matlab Code

Tobi Louw, Hip Joint Model Improvement by Incorporation of Synovial Fluid Behaviour and Evaluation of Current Model Equations
Final Year Project Report | Project Files

2008

Gerhard Marais, Comparison of Artificial Hip Joint Models
Final Year Project Report | Project Files