No abstract

[Purpose] To investigate the effect of heel height on the distribution of plantar foot force and heel pain in patients with a heel spur. [Subjects and Methods] Plantar force was measured using 8 force sensors in 16 patients (3 men, 13 women), with symptomatic heel spur for 4 heel heights (0–4 cm). Sensors were located at the hallux (T1); medial to lateral metatarsals (M1 through M3), mid-foot (MF); and at the central, lateral, and medial heel (CH, LH, and MH). Pain was evaluated using the minimum compression force that caused pain and was measured using an algometer. [Results] Load bearing shifted from the heel (CH) to the mid-foot (MF) and hallux (T1) with increasing heel height. Raising the heel from 2 to 3 cm reduced the magnitude of load bearing, relative to the minimum compression force for pain, by 3.70% at the LH and 2.35% at the MH. Excellent clinical outcomes, defined by a 70–100% decrease in pain, were achieved in 10/16 participants with the use of a 2-cm and 3-cm heel height in men and women, respectively. [Conclusion] Increasing heel height effectively decreases the plantar force on the heel during weight-bearing activities.

The objective of this study is to investigate the effect of contouring the shoe insole on calcaneal pressure and heel pain in calcaneal spur patients. Calcaneal pressure was measured using three force sensors from 13 patients including three males and 10 females. These patients have plantar heel pain due to calcaneal spurs, and we examined five customized contour insole foot areas (0–100%). Sensors were attached at the central heel (CH), lateral heel (LH) and medial heel (MH) of the foot. The pain was measured using an algometer and evaluated by the pain minimum compressive pressure (PMCP). In this study, it was observed that the calcaneal pressure decreased with increasing insole foot area. In addition, increasing the insole foot area from 25% to 50% can reduce the calcaneal pressure approximately 17.4% at the LH and 30.9% at the MH, which are smaller than the PMCP, while at the MH, pressure reduced 6.9%, which is greater than the PMCP. Therefore, to reduce pain, one can use 50% insole foot area, even though at MH it is still 19.3% greater than the PMCP. Excellent pain relief was observed when using 100% insole foot area, as the pressures in those three areas are lower than the PMCPs, but it is not recommended because it requires large production costs.

The present study evaluates the influences of PWHT on FCG behavior and tensile properties of TIG butt welded Al 6013-T4 sheets. Crack propagation tests were carried out on compact tension (CT) specimens. The T82 heat treatment was varied in three artificial aging times (soaking) of 6, 18 and 24 hours. The results of T82 heat treatment with artificial aging variations were tested for their fatigue crack growth rates at the main metal zone, the heat-affected zone (HAZ), and the welded metal zone. It has been observed that the various agings in heat treatment T82 are sensitive to the mechanical properties (fatigue crack growth rate test, tensile test). The results show that PWHT-T82 for 18 hours aging is the highest fatigue resistance, while the aging 18 hours provided the highest tensile test result.

This research focus on developing of low cost anthropomorphic prosthetic hand using DC micro metal gear motor. The DC metal gear motor is selected as actuator because it is easy to find, low cost, and light weight. The prosthetic hand is based on 3D printed material that enables it light weight, low cost, easy to manufacture and easy to maintain. The mechanism of the hand is based on the tendon spring mechanism. The prosthetic hand has five degree of freedom (DOF) and two joints in each finger. For performing the activities of daily living (ADLs), the hand is designed with seven grip patterns. Based on the experimental results in grasping test and writing test on the white board, the hand can be used as low cost prosthetic hand replacing the passive prosthetic hand that has been available on the market.