Study the Effect of Reinforcing Kevlar Fibers with Carbon Fibers and Glass Fibers on the Performance of the Athletic Prosthetic Foot

Abstract

In this research, the mechanical properties were studied from the experimental, theoretical, and numerical aspects of the sports prosthetic foot for the purpose of providing a sporty prosthetic limb with high performance, easy to use and an appropriate financial cost to use by amputees who have lost their lower limbs (amputation below the knee) in practicing their sports activities and overcoming physical disability. The dimensions of the blades were calculated based on side profiles from European patent specifications. The chosen fibers have high strength, are light in weight, and can be purchased for a lower price than the materials that are used in the production of the sports prosthetic feet that are already on the market and are produced by specialized companies such as Ottobock and Ossur. Six laminates of the composite material consisting of matrix orthocryl lamination 80:20 pro reinforced with different fibers (Kevlar fibers, carbon fibers, glass fibers, and perlon fibers) were fabricated in the form of rectangles using the vacuum system and then cut to the required dimensions using a CNC machine. The density and volume fraction of the samples and the use of the rule of mixtures to calculate the mechanical properties of the laminates were calculated and entered into the ANSYS program. Then the boundary conditions were applied to the athlete's prosthetic foot and the total deformation, and the total strain energy was calculated to find out the best laminates in the athlete's foot industry. It was noticed that the laminates reinforced with carbon fibers were better than the laminates reinforced with glass fibers in terms of Young’s Modulus, as well as deformation. The best laminate obtained is (12 K + 4 C).

Dynamic Analysis of a High-Performance Prosthetic Leg: Experimental Characterisation and Numerical Modelling

“…Several studies proposed advances [12], challenges [13,14], and future perspectives [15] on lower limb prosthetic technology since the insight of its mechanical behaviour is essential for their proper design, development, and customisation, to optimally meet individual requirements [16]. Different research works can be found in the literature, treating various topics, such as static analysis of prosthesis technology used in elite sport [17,18] or for running [19][20][21], in order to evaluate the stiffness characteristics [22] of blade prosthetics, or the investigation of their dynamic performance [23,24]; other studies propose the development of wearable sensors for mapping the behaviour of energy storing and returning in prosthesis [25,26], and the assessment of the influence of different composite material in the performance of athletes with prostheses [8,27,28]. Indeed, no standardised tests are currently available to achieve a full characterisation of the mechanical behaviour of the blade prosthetic in operating conditions [29].…”