Abstract: A biomimetic hip joint simulator that can be used to evaluate the outcome of the cemented total hip replacement has been designed, manufactured and evaluated. The simulator produces motion in the extension/flexion plane, with a socket to rotate internal/externally. At the same time a dynamic loading cycle is applied. A validation test was performed on a cemented femoral stem within a novel composite femur. The bone quality has a strong effect on the stem migration and on the integrity of the interfaces. The migration of the stem is a combination of 3-D translation and rotation of the stem. Under the same loading conditions, weak bone allows more stem migration than strong bone. There is a great decrease in the strength of the stem-cement interface after the dynamic test, and the weak bone composite exhibited a greater reduction in interfacial strength than the strong bone composite. The decrease of the interfacial strength indicates that the primary bonding between the stem and the cement mantle had deteriorated and the integrity of stem-cement interface was damaged. The study demonstrates the value of using a hip joint simulator to investigate stem migration and interface integrity within the cemented hip replacement, suggesting that method can be used for in vitro evaluation of the biomaterials used in the cemented hip replacements.

Key words: stem migration, hip joint simulator, interface failure, hip replacement, bone