Cyclic loaing of Ti-6-4 and Co-Cr-Mo (cast) test samples with grit-blasted or waffletextured surfaces coated with a plasma-sprayed 50-pm HA layer was performed in air, Ringer's solution (5% dextrose), 0.9% NaCl (Tris buffer, pH 7.40), and balanced Hank's solution. Maximum interfacial stresses in bending of 40 ksi (280 MPa) and 20 ksi (140 MPa) were utilized, and the specimens tested to lo6 cycles at 5 Hz with a MTS servohydraulic machine. Tested samples were examined by optical microscopy to determine coating integrity and thickness and by scanning electron microscopy (electron backscatter mode and EDAX) to determine surface morphology and chemical changes.
The following observations were made: (1) Samples cyclically tested in solutions showed a general thinning of the coating, accentuated in the higher-stressed regions.
(2) Samples tested with an equivalent static load in the solutions did not show this centralization. (3) Bare metal interface surfaces were noted on most of the edges of highly stressed central specimen regions, in several entire central regions, and on the upper surfaces of some of the waffled samples. (4) The specimens tested in Ringer's solution (pH 4.70 initially) demonstrated the most dramatic coating deterioration. (5) The coatings on titanium appeared more stable than these on Co-Cr as tested in all solution environments for both surface types.
The HA coating evaluated in this experiment demonstrated increased instability when cyclically loaded in in vitro solutions of lowered pH and depleted cations (Ca2+) at stress levels of 280 MPa. The more physiological solution (Hank's) did not show this increased dissolution at the lower stress level. It is suggested that this type of testing be performed on other HA coatings due to the possible implications for long-term in vivo coating integrity.