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BIOLOX®delta Ceramic-on-Ceramic Hip Resurfacing: Wear Performance Under Daily Activities

A new wear simulation study jointly published by Prof. Louise Jennings and Raelene Cowie (University of Leeds) and MatOrtho Ltd’s engineering team Danielle de Villiers, Colin Fisher, et al. evaluates the tribological performance of MatOrtho’s ReCerf® ceramic-on-ceramic hip resurfacing (BIOLOX®𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘵𝘢) over a range of daily activities (e.g. walking, jogging). The study moves beyond the standard ISO 14242-1 gait cycle to bearing behavior under more patient-realistic conditions.

Infographic of parallel hip simulator protocols for BIOLOX®delta ceramic resurfacing over 4 million cycles.
Infographic showing BIOLOX®delta ceramic-on-ceramic hip resurfacing wear below 0.15 mm³/million cycles under jogging-like conditions at 4.5 kN and 1.25 Hz.
Infographic showing BIOLOX®delta CoC wear \leq0.01 mm³/million cycles under standard gait, increased frequency, and stop-dwell-start.
Summary slide of BIOLOX®delta CoC hip resurfacing preclinical study showing low wear and no surface damage.

Six 40/46mm ReCerf® implants were tested on hip simulators and observed across four million cycles. All 6 implants were first tested together for 2 million cycles under standard ISO 14242-1 walking gait to establish a baseline. 

They were then split into two groups of 3 and run on separate simulators:

➡️Simulator 1 (Jogging-like protocol): 1 million cycles at increased frequency only (1.25Hz), followed by 1 million cycles combining increased frequency (1.25Hz) with higher peak load (4.5kN) isolating each variable systematically.

➡️Simulator 2 (Stop–dwell–start (SDS) protocol): 1 million cycles under standard gait with SDS interruptions followed by 1 million cycles of SDS combined with the jogging-like profile (1.25Hz, 4.5kN).

Throughout all phases, motion inputs (flexion/extension, rotation, abduction/adduction) and force waveform shape were kept constant - only frequency and peak load were varied.

 

The key findings:

  • Under standard walking gait, increased frequency, and SDS conditions (peak load 3kN), wear reached the limit of detection: mean wear ≤0.01mm³/MC.
  • Under both jogging-like protocols (4.5kN, 1.25Hz), wear was detectable but low: mean <0.15mm³/MC (range 0.09-0.13mm³/MC).
  • No visible wear scar was observed on any head or cup at study conclusion (scar depth <1µm), confirmed by a coordinate measurement machine (CMM) (deviation <±2µm for all heads).
  • No significant change was found in surface roughness parameters (Ra, Rp, Rv) after the test (p>0.05, ±95% CI).

 

Squeaking occurred only during simulator stop phases in some implants, not during continuous running, and was not linked to increased wear. The authors suggest abrupt simulator stopping may trigger lubrication-film disruption and vibration, exaggerating squeaking compared with real joints.

 

The study demonstrates

  • exceptionally low wear across all simulated daily activities (walking, jogging, and SDS motion),
  • higher load (jogging) as a stronger wear driver than increased cycle frequency,
  • no detectable surface damage even after demanding multi-condition simulation,
  • no compromise of BIOLOX®𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘵𝘢 performance under SDS motion - unlike MoM or MoP,
  • BIOLOX®𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘵𝘢 CoC as a viable bearing material for next-generation large-diameter hip resurfacing.

 

The authors note some limitations such as:

  • Small sample size (N=3) and short test duration limiting the generalisability of conclusions
  • Uncoated test components, deviating from original clinical implant specifications

 

Discover the full open-access study: https://doi.org/10.3390/lubricants14060219

 

Please check for regulatory approval in your country.

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