Orthopedic Composite Materials.
Abstract
The program was designed as a pilot project to establish new techniques for making orthopedic prosthetic materials. The basic idea was to make metal supported ceramic composites, so that the metal provided strength (and an element of ductility) and the relatively inert ceramic protected the metal from the body. Two techniques were employed: plasma jet spraying and tape technology. In the latter research, means were found to control the porosity to almost any desired size for bone in-growth and attachment. Further, it was demonstrated that Ti, which is commonly used as a prosthetic material, could be cast into an Al2O3 shell. A second avenue of research involved the deposition of bone onto any prosthetic material to enhance bone growth in and around the implant. Two approaches were tried; sputtering of bone and electrochemical deposition of bone. Both techniques were reasonably successful. It remains for the various experimental approaches to be optimized for standard use and for the materials evolved to be assessed for their biophysical compatibility. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 27, 1972
- Accession Number
- AD0748003
Entities
People
- Bevil J. Shaw
Organizations
- Westinghouse Electric Corporation