A method for determining machine configurations for multidirectional pin-on-plate wear testing

Abstract

Pin-on-plate wear testing is a commonly employed technique for preclinical evaluation of the wear performance of articulating joint implant materials, as specified by ASTM F732. The latest revision of ASTM F732, introduced multidirectional wear assessment for 'hip-type' wear applications. While multidirectional pin-on-plate wear testing has been adopted to better account for cross-shear and mimic in vivo joint kinematics, selecting appropriate machine configuration for a particular case can be challenging due to the complex nature of the involved machine mechanisms. This study presents a method for formulating and verifying a data set that can be utilised to solve machine parameters for a specific load case. The proposed method employs standard gear radii and is demonstrated with an illustrative example case to showcase the method with a practical application. A holistic view of the parameter design space is formed in this paper, thus simplifying the overall machine parameter selection processes for multidirectional pin-on-plate wear testing.