The design of a finger wear simulator and preliminary results.
A dual-cycle finger wear simulator has been designed, manufactured and commissioned. The simulator interspersed dynamic flexion-extension motion under light load with a heavier static 'pinch' load to a test prosthesis immersed in a lubricant heated to 37 degrees C. A validation test was undertaken on a size 2 Swanson prosthesis, leading to prosthesis failure in less than 1 million cycles. A second test was carried out on a Durham metacarpophalangeal prosthesis. After 4.8 million cycles a total wear factor for the joint of 0.60 x 10(-6) mm3/N m was calculated, with no cracks or damage visible. Both test results compare well with earlier tests undertaken on the Stokoe finger wear simulator.
Joyce
T J
TJ
Centre for Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering, University of Durham, UK.
Unsworth
A
A
D001186:Artificial Limbs / Q000592:standards*; D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis / Q000295:instrumentation*; D005385:Fingers / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D011474:Prosthesis Design; D016059:Range of Motion, Articular; D016474:Weight-Bearing