Ultra-High Molecular Weight Polyethylene (UHMWPE) is widely used as a bearing surface in total and partial joint arthroplasty. In addition to medical applications, this polymer is utilized in the fields of ballistic protection, sports, and industrial tribology. The addition of carbon allotropes, such as nanographite or carbon black powders, to UHMWPE offers potential benefits including added conductivity, increased wear resistance, and introduction of micro-tracers for understanding microstructural behavior and monitoring damage [1]. The mechanical properties of these Carbon/UHWPE nanocomposites can be enhanced by subjecting them to equal channel angular extrusion (ECAE) as a way to introduce large shear strains to achieve higher molecular entanglement of UHMWPE and better distribution of carbon nanoparticles [2, 3].
In this paper, micro-computed tomography (µCT) is used to characterize carbon black (CB) and nanographite (N27SG) reinforced UHMWPE polymers. It is shown that the procedure described in [1] results in almost uniform distribution of carbon inclusions around UHMWPE particles with both compression molding (CM), and ECAE processes. Multiscale numerical models of the composite are developed based on the µCT images, including mesoscale finite element (FE) models of representative volume element (RVE) on the mesoscale, and micromechanical predictions for carbon-rich interphase layers on the microscale.
