Micro-crack on EDMed-Textured Surface in Metal-on-Metal Hip Implant

Surface texturing is one of the proven approaches in the surface engineering field that can improve the tribological properties of mechanical components. It is important to achieve superior performance and durability when dealing with the surface of solid matter, as well as an implant device. However, during fabrication of the dimples, an unwanted crack could be produced on the dimple edge. Therefore, this study on crack formation is significant as cracks on the dimple edges can be the main source of the formation of wear particles and can cause fatigue and implant failure. This research conducted a study to evaluate the formation of cracks on EDMed-textured surface on sliding contact, especially in metal-on-metal (MoM) hip implant application for loads of 250, 500 and 1000 N. This research provides significant findings on crack formation for future work, especially in modeling and simulation, to estimate the lifespan of a hip with a textured surface. The best method for machining dimples on the hip implant surface could then be suggested, hence helping in improving the quality of life for the patients.