New life sciences study findings have been reported from Indian Institute of Technology
2009 MAY 12 - (NewsRx.com) -- New investigation results, 'Friction and wear properties of novel HDPE--HAp--Al2O3 biocomposites against alumina counterface,' are detailed in a study published in Journal of Biomaterials Applications. "In an effort to enhance physical properties of biopolymers (high-density polyethylene, HDPE) in terms of elastic modulus and hardness, various ceramic fillers, like alumina (Al2O3) and hydroxyapatite (HAp) are added, and therefore it is essential to assess the friction and wear resistance properties of HDPE biocomposites. In this perspective, HDPE composites with varying ceramic filler content (upto 40 vol%) were fabricated under the optimal compression molding conditions and their friction and wear properties were evaluated against Al2O3 at fretting contacts," investigators in Kanpur, India report. "All the experiments were conducted at a load of 10 N for duration of 100,000 cycles in both dry as well as simulated body fluid (SBF). Such planned set of experiments has been designed to address three important issues: (a) whether the improvement in physical properties (hardness, E-modulus) will lead to corresponding improvement in friction and wear properties; (b) whether the fretting in SBF will provide sufficient lubrication in order to considerably enhance the tribological properties, as compared to that in ambient conditions; and (c) whether the generation of wear debris particles be reduced for various compositionally modified polymer composites, in comparison to unreinforced HDPE. The experimental results indicate the possibility of achieving extremely low coefficient of friction (COF approximately 0.047) as well as higher wear resistance (wear rate in the order of approximately 10(-7) mm3 N(-1) m(-1)) with the newly developed composites in SBF. A low wear depth of 3.5-4 microm is recorded, irrespective of fretting environment," wrote S. Bodhak and colleagues, Indian Institute of Technology. The researchers concluded: "Much effort has been put forward to correlate the friction and wear mechanisms with abrasion, adhesion, and wear debris formation." Bodhak and colleagues published their study in the Journal of Biomaterials Applications (Friction and wear properties of novel HDPE--HAp--Al2O3 biocomposites against alumina counterface. Journal of Biomaterials Applications, 2009;23(5):407-33). For additional information, contact S. Bodhak, Laboratory for Advanced Ceramics, Dept. of Materials and Metallurgical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology IIT-Kanpur, Kanpur 208016, India. The publisher of the Journal of Biomaterials Applications can be contacted at: SAGE Publications, USA , 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320, USA. Keywords: India, Kanpur, Life Sciences, Biomaterials Applications, Biopolymers. This article was prepared by Science Letter editors from staff and other reports. Copyright 2009, Science Letter via NewsRx.com.
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