The Application of 3D Surface Metrology in Charaterization of Femoral Stem Wear

The significance of three dimensional(3D)surface metrology in engineering is firstly discussed, based on the recognition of the limitation of two dimensional(2D)surface metrology that most researchers in academia and industry have been utilizing. Then a detailed description of modern 3D surface metrology instruments, i. e. contacting stylus, non-contacting optical interferometer and atomic force microscope, is given. Subsequently, the development of 3D surface characterization technique which concentrates mainly on 3D surface parameters, especially the famous "Birmingham 14 Parameters", is introduced. Finally, a typical case study on the application of 3D surface metrology in characterization of femoral stem wear is proposed to further advocate the popularization of 3D surface metrology in biomedical engineering, with the result showing that matt femoral stems wear against bone cement by an abrasive mechanism whilst fretting wear dominates the wear mechanism between polished femoral stems and bone cement.