Performance Comparison of Two Linear Motor-Driven Totally Artificial Hearts

This paper compares the performance of a linear pulse motor (LPM) and a linear electromagnetic solenoid (LES) when used in a totally artificial heart. Our experiences with LPM-driven total artifilcial hearts have shown that the following problems need to be resolved: 1) long-term reliability of the linear bearings; 2) low thrust of the LPM. These problems concerning the LPM may be solved by using an LES instead. We therefore designed an LES for a totally artificial heart, using the finite element method (FEM) in calculations. Comparison of the performance of totally artificial hearts using an LPM and an LES yielded the following results: 1) the newly designed LES heart has a thrust/volume ratio four times larger than that of the LPM heart; 2) due to reduced friction, the LES heart has a longer service life than does the LPM heart.