One assistant professor is making strides with his students to improve the lifespan of hip and knee replacements through friction stir processing.
When Dr. Quentin Allen was in high school, he tore the meniscus in his left knee—making him a high risk for arthritis and knee replacement later in life. As he found his passion in manufacturing engineering, he joined a research project working specifically with surface texturing of hip replacements. He loved the project so much that it became his Ph.D. research and continued with him as a professor at BYU.
“I’ve been researching that injury and what they did to treat me. I’ve been pain free for years now, which is great. But I’m at very high risk for developing arthritis in my knee and needing a knee replacement. So that was my personal connection into this area," Allen explained.
Currently, Dr. Allen is working on friction stir processing and surface texturing to improve the longevity of hip and knee replacements. Comfort, functionality, and durability are all critical to the user of a new knee or hip. Because it takes so long to have biomedical materials approved by the FDA, researchers focus on improving the existing top alloy: cobalt-chromium-molybdenum (CoCrMo).
Friction stir processing is a method used in advanced manufacturing in which a tool is spun very quickly and plunged into the metal; the friction softens the metal, giving the engineer more control over its properties. The intention is to make the CoCrMo metal harder, more wear resistant, and more corrosion resistant- which will make the implants last longer.
Surface texturing increases the amount of lubricant in between the bearing surfaces (ball and socket) of the joint replacement; this reduces friction, wear, and squeaking. Both projects, although separate, are critical in the advancement of biotechnology.
“What’s exciting about the surface texturing is it becomes an additional thing that you can do to kind of customize an implant for one specific patient,” Allen said.
The medical field is transitioning from standard replacements to individualized replacements based on the patient’s age, size, and lifestyle. The amount of joint replacement surgeries is on the rise with the average patient getting younger and younger.
“There’s actually more and more people getting hip replacements in their 50s and even 40s now, and [20-25 years] is just not long enough for them...[if we can] make them harder, more wear resistant, more corrosion resistant, then they could conceivably last in the body for 30-40 years. That’s what we hope to achieve," said Allen.
Like most BYU engineering research projects, Allen is assisted by a handful of undergraduate and graduate students. Currently there are two graduate students and four undergraduate students working on the project.
“I’m just so busy. I don’t have time to do all of this research. I think it’s really important and I want it to get done and I give advice and mentoring to the students. But they’re the ones who actually do this," said Allen.
Robert Hovanski, one of Dr. Allen's undergraduate students, has bolstered his resume while being exposed to opportunities not typically granted to undergraduates such as operating the scanning electron microscope.
"I've been able to learn how to use a lot of machines across campus, I've been able to learn how to work with different materials, I've been expanding my networking through talking to students and meeting faculty—it's been a very useful and a very entertaining and knowledge-filled experience," Hovanski said.
Kaleb Bates and Isaac Andorful, graduate students working on the project, shared that this research was beneficial to further their careers.
"Learning is a part of the job," Bates explained. "I'm doing a lot of my research on [this] but alongside that I'm reading about aluminum and steel, breakthroughs in the field that aren't directly related to [this project]...I'm able to see what I like and implement that into the work that we're doing."
Allen and his students explained that manufacturing engineering is a more hands-on field of engineering and expressed their excitement to work on projects that make a difference.
Andorful is an international student and hopes to take these valuable experiences back home to Ghana as a long run goal.
"Before [that], I need to gain much experience that will come with some work. In the U.S., when it comes to biomedical [engineering] I think they have a lot of knowledge that I need to tap here," Andorful said.
Andorful, Bates, and Hovanski's advice to newer engineering students? Be proactive in looking for research opportunities and always seek to improve.
"One thing I think every student should look out for is feedback—prompt feedback...it's something I love...if you have prompt feedback it doesn't delay research," Andorful said.
Hovanski, an undergraduate, explained that he got a head start on his research because he reached out to professors whose research he was interested in. Dr. Allen agreed, adding that professors may not always be looking to fill research positions, but when a position opens up that those proactive students are at the top of their list.
“Professors love working with students, right—that's one of the reasons we got into this profession, because we want to do research but we also want to kind of give back and help other students learn how to do this too," Allen concluded.