Design and Mechanics Simulation of Bionic Lubrication System of Artificial Joints

We propose a new structure for artificial joints with a joint capsule which is designed to overcome the drawback of current prostheses that omit many functions of the lubricant and the joint capsule. The new structure is composed of three components: lubricant, artificial joint and artificial joint capsule. The lubricant sealed in the capsule can not only reduce the wear of the arti- ficial joint but also prevents the wear particles leaking into the body. So unexpected reactions between the wear particles and body can be avoided completely. A three-dimensional (3-D) finite element analysis (FEA) model was created for a bionic knee joint with capsule. The stresses and their distribution in the artificial capsule were simulated with different thickness, loadings, and flexion angles. The results show that the maximum stress occurs in the area between the artificial joint and the capsule. The effects of capsule thickness and the angles of flexion on stress are discussed in detail.