AbstractOne of the most common causes of failures in total joint replacements is the generation of wear particles within the joint. This contributes to bone lost and aseptic loosening of the implant, eventually requiring its replacement. Many studies have been carried out to improve the wear characteristics of bearing surfaces in total joint replacement. From the lubrication point of view, the friction behaviour of surfaces and rheology of the joint lubricant (synovial fluid) have been extensively studied. However, little attention has been paid to the interaction between the lubricant and the bearing surfaces. The aim of this study is to develop a methodology for studying the behaviour of bio‐based lubricant in mini‐channels. For this purpose, micro‐particle image velocimetry was used in order to characterise the lubricant behaviour. Channels made of relevant materials such as ultra‐high molecular weight polyethylene, cobalt–chromium–molybdenum alloy and titanium–aluminium–vanadium alloy with 1 and 1.5 mm width, 45 mm length and 2 mm depth were experimentally investigated. Results suggested that the used polymeric solution interaction with solid surfaces is very sensitive to the polymer concentration in the lubricant. Moreover, it was observed that there exist differences between water (Newtonian reference fluid) and the polymeric solution behaviour even at very simple movements; although usually, the properties of this lubricant at high shear rates are estimated by water properties. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.