ABSTRACT
Articulating systems are complex mechanical systems operating under a combination of sliding, rotation, slip, vibrations, weight bearing, and loading conditions. For example, in hip or knee joints and dental prostheses, the working parameters largely affect the lifetime of such contacting material systems. Articulating systems are present in engineering systems ranging from large scale ones such as in transportation, robotica, or offshore installations, down to small sized ones such as in microelectromechanical systems (MEMs). A commonly experienced problem in medical prostheses and in mechanical systems is the synergism between corrosion and wear occurring under field operation causing an enhanced material degradation. Achieving better performing articulating systems in clinical and engineering sectors is a real challenge in this early 21 st century. In this chapter, an overview is given of the main parameters affecting tribocorrosion in medical and industrial systems, and this is illustrated with a few case studies.
