In this work a tribological experimental study was performed
in order to obtain the friction coefficients of UHMWPE against
TiAl6v4 alloy, against AISI316L steel and against Al2O3. The tests
were performed under dry and lubricated conditions. As lubricants,
we used a commercial drug containing the sodium hyaluronate
fluid: “Hyalgans”. Tests were conducted by using a reciprocating
pin on flat tribometer with several load conditions and
for 120 min. The pins in all tests have been chosen taking in
account the applied load and the Hertz's theory for the three
materials under study. The flats in the tribological tests have been
cut, cleaned and prepared by two different knee prostheses. The
differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) has been employed to
compare the two UHMWPE samples.