Preliminary Friction Force Measurements on Small Bowel Lumen When Eliminating Sled Edge Effects

This study aims to produce experimental results for the coefficient of friction (COF) between the small bowel lumen and an edgeless, translating sled. Friction was measured as a function of sled speed under in situ and in vitro conditions. The results indicate that by eliminating edge effects, the COF between a stainless steel sled and the inner surface of the small bowel lumen is decreased. The average COF for in situ testing was found to be slightly lower than in vitro tests. Friction increased with increasing velocity. The friction forces ranged from 0.013 to 0.08 N, and COF values ranged from 0.007 to 0.054 under these conditions.