Biomaterials for hip joint implants with particular emphasis on titanium and its alloys
Abstract
Introduction
The primary objectives of replacing a natural hip joint with a prosthesis are to restore the function of a joint damaged by degenerative disease, advanced rheumatoid conditions, or mechanical injury, to eliminate pain caused by pathological joint changes, and to re-establish proper load transfer. Additionally, the procedure aims to restore motor functions, enabling the patient to move and perform essential daily activities such as walking, lifting, and carrying objects.
Material and methods
This article outlines the requirements for biomaterials used in the components of hip joint prostheses, presents various groups of titanium alloys, and describes their properties in detail. Special attention is paid to titanium and titanium alloys, including their mechanical and physical characteristics. The influence of Young’s modulus on fretting and fatigue cracking in metallic alloys used in modular prosthetic components is also examined.
Results
Titanium alloys are generally not used for femoral heads due to their poor tribological performance. Without appropriate surface modification, titanium alloys are unsuitable for use in articulating components such as heads and acetabular cups, as they exhibit low abrasion resistance. They also demonstrate limited resistance to fretting damage, particularly at the junctions between the stem neck and head in modular prostheses.
Conclusions
To improve abrasion resistance, diffusion-based thermochemical surface treatments can be employed to harden the material’s outer layer. However, the issue of fretting-induced damage at the neck region of hip endopros-theses remains unresolved. This problem is critical, as it often leads to corrosion and fatigue cracking of the stem neck, ultimately requiring prosthesis revision and incurring significant clinical and economic consequences. Plasma (ionic) nitriding has been shown to enhance surface properties such as hardness, wear resistance, resistance to fretting damage, fretting corrosion, and fretting fatigue, as well as overall fatigue cracking resistance.
© 2026 Mieczyslaw Choroszynski, published by Polish Society of Medical Physics
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