Fw: Re: PhD Studentship available at the University of Nottingham

> >>> Nicola Everitt <Nicola.Everitt@NOTTINGHAM.AC.UK> 05/21/02 05:14pm >>>
> HIP IMPLANT WEAR AND DEGRADATION
> PhD Studentship available at the University of Nottingham
>
> Overall Aims
> Exploration of the links between surface characteristics and in-service
> behaviour of the cup and head of replacement hip joints which have
> failed in service, and
> Laboratory evaluation of possible materials for replacement joints.
>
> Why here?
> Join a vibrant research community (RAE grade 5) that includes
> biomaterials, biomechanics and surface engineering.
> http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/school4m/
>
> What next?
> If you are interested and due to graduate with a 2:1 or better degree
> then contact
> Dr Nicola Everitt, Senior Lecturer in Materials Engineering,
> School of Mechanical, Materials and Manufacturing Engineering with
> Management,
> Email: Nicola.Everitt@Nottingham.ac.uk or Tel: (0115) 8466496
>
> Project Description
> Replacement hip joints have revolutionised the management of patients
> who would otherwise be crippled by arthritis. Unfortunately there is an
> unexpectedly high incident of failures causing second or third
> replacement surgery to be needed. One of the biggest causes of failure
> is wear which either leads to mechanical failure of the acetabluar cup
> as the polyethylene wears through, or causes failure because of the
> bodies reaction to the wear particles produced either from the cup or
> the femoral head.
> The Queens Medical Centre (QMC) is a UK leader in joint replacement
> surgery. I am involved in setting up a bank of the implants which are
> retrieved when a repeat joint replacement has to take place. This
> offers the opportunity to examine and mechanically assess a selected
> subset of the 120 hip joints retrieved per year. The student would be
> able to investigate statistical links between patient profiles, time of
> failure etc. with the mechanical properties and wear of both the
> acetabular cups and femoral heads of the retrieved joints. This is
> particularly important in light of the recent changes to sterilization
> techniques for ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) cups,
> and moves towards using other materials such as ceramics.
> The project could also involve laboratory evaluation of the effect of
> sterilization techniques, and also possible replacement materials such
> as ceramic films or metal impregnated polymer.
> Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) will be one of the main tools used to
> provide accurate 3-dimensional topography plots and surface roughness
> characterisation of crucial points on the femoral heads and acetabular
> cups, and to help quantify wear. AFM can also provide localised
> material property information. The existing School expertise in surface
> profilometry for wear evaluation, hardness testing and a range of
> analysis techniques, such as differential scanning calorimetry to look
> at polymer crystallinity, would also be available to the student.
Received on Mon May 27 08:28:43 2002