Reliability Evaluation of a Linear Pulse Motor for a Total Artificial Heart Driving

Abstract

The authors have been investigating the basic technologies to an artificial heart driving using a linear pulse motor (LPM). This type of artificial heart is able to promise the possibility of downsizing.
This paper describes the results of research on duration of the LPM which designed for use in a total artificial heart, the duration was evaluated by the MTTF ( Mean Time To Failure ). The calculated value of MTTF of the LPM was obtained to be 3200 hours, 137 days. The main reason of this short duration was caused by large failure rate of the linear bearings.
Actual duration of the LPM was confirmed under accelerated-life testing. Using the acceleration coefficient, the measured value of the duration was 2800 hours, 117 days, the duration was also decided destruction of the linear bearings. Calculated value of the duration agreed well with the measured value, but these values were at least one order smaller than the ideal total artificial heart. This paper also has proposed the method to improve the duration of the LPM for the total artificial heart.