Paper 9: An Investigation of the Friction and Lubrication in Human Joints:

The work carried out applies to lubricated sliding surfaces in living and artificial human joints, with particular application to the hip, one of the principal load-bearing synovial joints in the body.Results are presented concerning the dimensions of the fluid-filled space between the articular surfaces of an unloaded human hip joint. The surface quality of articular surfaces has been assessed in a number of cases.Friction and lubrication experiments have been carried out on a reciprocating type of test machine using samples of articular cartilage and various artificial materials.It is hoped that the information gained from these experiments will lead to a clearer understanding of the load-carrying capacity of a human joint which is lubricated with synovial fluid.