Date of Defense
9-6-2025 3:00 PM
Location
F1-1043
Document Type
Dissertation Defense
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy in Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering
College
College of Engineering
Department
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
First Advisor
Dr. Jaber Abu Qudeiri
Keywords
Hip Implants (HIs), Femoral Head, Groove Design (GD), Additive Manufacturing (AM), Wear Reduction, Stress Distribution, Finite Element Analysis (FEA), Hollow Components, Total Hip Arthroplasty (THA).
Abstract
This doctoral research concerns the design and optimization of hip implants (HIs) to enhance performance, durability, and improve patient outcomes by addressing the key issues of wear, deformation, and stress distribution. Innovative surface groove designs have been introduced to both a solid and a hollow femoral head with the aim of reducing friction and wear. The addition of grooves, with both a hemispherical and rectangular cross-section, onto the femoral head reduced friction, as debris produced by the inner liner was trapped within the grooves, significantly reducing adhesive wear. A numerical simulation study compared the effects of surface modifications — both grooves and dimples — on wear reduction under static loading. The simulations showed that incorporating grooves on the femoral head led to a 10% reduction in wear rate, and the addition of dimples contributed a 3% improvement. A comprehensive optimization of femoral head design was conducted using full factorial design methods and Finite Element Analysis to assess stress distribution and deformation. Three groove configurations were evaluated: no grooves, horizontal grooves, and vertical grooves. The results revealed that vertical grooves provided the best performance in terms of stress distribution and wear resistance. Hollow femoral heads with wall thickness 0.1 mm and vertical grooves demonstrated superior load-bearing capacity, reduced weight, and enhanced structural integrity. Despite the reduced material volume, the hollow components exhibited sufficient durability and strength to withstand high load conditions, making them a promising option for future HI designs. Such design innovations are expected to contribute significantly to improving patient outcomes by reducing wear and improving joint functionality. Additive Manufacture was used to fabricate models to demonstrate custom designed femoral heads of complex geometry composed of high-strength, biocompatible Titanium alloy (Ti6Al4V). AM technology enabled precise implementation of groove patterns. The successful implementation of these designs could position them, or variations of them, as a commercially viable solution, offering both improved patient outcomes and cost-effective manufacturing processes. The research culminated in the patent of a HI with reduced wear properties. This patented design — comprising a grooved femoral head, inner liner, and outer acetabular cup — is considered to present a breakthrough in reducing friction and wear during total hip arthroplasty.
Included in
DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF HIP IMPLANTS FOR LONGEVITY THROUGH INTEGRATING ADVANCED GROOVE STRUCTURES AND ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING
F1-1043
This doctoral research concerns the design and optimization of hip implants (HIs) to enhance performance, durability, and improve patient outcomes by addressing the key issues of wear, deformation, and stress distribution. Innovative surface groove designs have been introduced to both a solid and a hollow femoral head with the aim of reducing friction and wear. The addition of grooves, with both a hemispherical and rectangular cross-section, onto the femoral head reduced friction, as debris produced by the inner liner was trapped within the grooves, significantly reducing adhesive wear. A numerical simulation study compared the effects of surface modifications — both grooves and dimples — on wear reduction under static loading. The simulations showed that incorporating grooves on the femoral head led to a 10% reduction in wear rate, and the addition of dimples contributed a 3% improvement. A comprehensive optimization of femoral head design was conducted using full factorial design methods and Finite Element Analysis to assess stress distribution and deformation. Three groove configurations were evaluated: no grooves, horizontal grooves, and vertical grooves. The results revealed that vertical grooves provided the best performance in terms of stress distribution and wear resistance. Hollow femoral heads with wall thickness 0.1 mm and vertical grooves demonstrated superior load-bearing capacity, reduced weight, and enhanced structural integrity. Despite the reduced material volume, the hollow components exhibited sufficient durability and strength to withstand high load conditions, making them a promising option for future HI designs. Such design innovations are expected to contribute significantly to improving patient outcomes by reducing wear and improving joint functionality. Additive Manufacture was used to fabricate models to demonstrate custom designed femoral heads of complex geometry composed of high-strength, biocompatible Titanium alloy (Ti6Al4V). AM technology enabled precise implementation of groove patterns. The successful implementation of these designs could position them, or variations of them, as a commercially viable solution, offering both improved patient outcomes and cost-effective manufacturing processes. The research culminated in the patent of a HI with reduced wear properties. This patented design — comprising a grooved femoral head, inner liner, and outer acetabular cup — is considered to present a breakthrough in reducing friction and wear during total hip arthroplasty.