Development of a rheological analogue to periprosthetic fluid

The purpose of this work is to design a rheological analogue to periprosthetic fluid, for potential use in wear testing of orthopaedic implants. Polymer solutions of sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), xanthan and mixtures thereof were prepared, and the experimentally determined viscosity–shear rate dependence was analyzed using the three-parameter modified Cross model. A mixture containing 0.185 wt% CMC and 0.075 wt% xanthan was identified as being the closest rheological match for periprosthetic fluid in both steady shear and oscillatory modes of deformation.