ABSTRACT
By calculating the tension and distortion of the elements composing the bipolar prosthesis under extreme conditions encountered in real life using a special post-processing program, we established the variation curves of the contact pressure at the hip bone-cup, armor-cup and cup-femoral head interface. By comparing the data obtained from all the examined cases, important conclusions were drawn regarding the influence of tension and pressure distribution on the structural integrity and biomechanics of the prosthesis, as well as the acetabular wear and tear, in order to assess its reliability. The experimentally determined tension and distortion status at the acetabular bone-metal armour interface, lead to the wear and tear phenomenon, which can be explained by three mechanisms and theories incompletely reflecting the overall process. The histopathologic study of the acetabular bone tissue using FEM (finite elements method) on surgically removed specimens will probably lead to the identification of a series of factors that could reduce the rate of the wear and tear process.