Design of a Testing Bench for Biomaterials Characterization According to Their Performance Under Tribocorrosion

The dynamic behavior of prosthetic devices and the existence of different types of aggressive environments, lead to consider the independent and synergic influence of mechanical and electrochemical disturbances during its operation, as they produce a progressive loss of material and finally a neglect of design requirements. In order to perform the needed tests for selecting materials depending of the minimum loss rate, it is necessary to build a device that allows implementing and supervising them in the three environments, due to the lack of standardized testing equipment and methods for biomedical researches. This paper describes the design methodology for a linear reciprocating Ball-on-Flat tribometer prototype, following the international standards and design criteria set by QFD, giving priority to manufacturing and assembling ease, low cost and structural stiffness (validated by means of finite elements analysis at a CAD software).