Synthesized Multi-station Tribo-test System for Bio-tribological Evaluation in Vitro

Tribological tests play an important role on the evaluation of long-term bio-tribological performances of prosthetic materials for commercial fabrication.Those tests focus on the motion simulation of a real joint in vitro with only normal loads and constant velocities,which are far from the real friction behavior of human joints characterized with variable loads and multiple directions.In order to accurately obtain the bio-tribological performances of artificial joint materials,a tribological tester with a miniature four-station tribological system is proposed with four distinctive features.Firstly,comparability and repeatability of a test are ensured by four equal stations of the tester.Secondly,cross-linked scratch between tribo-pairs of human joints can be simulated by using a gear-rack meshing mechanism to produce composite motions.With this mechanism,the friction tracks can be designed by varying reciprocating and rotating speeds.Thirdly,variable loading system is realized by using a ball-screw mechanism driven by a stepper motor,by which loads under different gaits during walking are simulated.Fourthly,dynamic friction force and normal load can be measured simultaneously.The verifications of the performances of the developed tester show that the variable frictional tracks can produce different wear debris compared with one-directional tracks,and the accuracy of loading and friction force is within ?5%.Thus the high consistency among different stations can be obtained.Practically,the proposed tester system could provide more comprehensive and accurate bio-tribological evaluations for prosthetic materials.