Wrightington Hospital Craven

Craven built the first wear testing rig at Wrightington for Chamley between 1959 and 1960. With little money available to support research, the stainless steel parts of the wear tester were scrounged from the local scrap yard, where the proprietor was accustomed to reserving raw materials for the hospital. The rig, shown in Figure 4.8 on display in Wrightington Hospital, consist of four stations. 

This chapter would not have been possible without the assistance of many supportive colleagues in England. Professor John Fisher (University of Leeds), Dr. Mike Wroblewski (Wrightington Hospital), and Harry Craven (Lancashire) were all instrumental in providing details regarding the undocumented history of Wrightington during the time of Charnley. Drs. Ken Brummit and... 

In May of that year, a salesman (Mr. V.C. Birms) arrived at Wrightington and was introduced to Craven by the hospital s supply officer. Binn s products, small gears and bushings, were fabricated from UHMWPE and he provided Craven with a sample of the material. Chamley s first reaction to UHMWPE is described in his biography as follows "When shown tire material, Chamley dug his thumb-nail into it and walked out, telling Craven he was wasting his time" (Waugh 1990). 

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