Strength Assessment of PET Composite Prosthetic Sockets
A prosthesis is loaded by forces and torques exerted by its wearer, the amputee, and should withstand instances of peak loads without failure. Traditionally, strong prosthetic sockets were made using a composite with a variety of reinforcing fibres, such as glass, carbon, and Kevlar. Amputees in les...
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MDPI AG
2023-06-01
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| Series: | Materials |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/16/13/4606 |
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| author | Yogeshvaran R. Nagarajan Farukh Farukh Vadim V. Silberschmidt Karthikeyan Kandan Radheshyam Rathore Amit Kumar Singh Pooja Mukul |
| author_facet | Yogeshvaran R. Nagarajan Farukh Farukh Vadim V. Silberschmidt Karthikeyan Kandan Radheshyam Rathore Amit Kumar Singh Pooja Mukul |
| author_sort | Yogeshvaran R. Nagarajan |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | A prosthesis is loaded by forces and torques exerted by its wearer, the amputee, and should withstand instances of peak loads without failure. Traditionally, strong prosthetic sockets were made using a composite with a variety of reinforcing fibres, such as glass, carbon, and Kevlar. Amputees in less-resourced nations can lack access to composite prosthetic sockets due to their unavailability or prohibitive cost. Therefore, this study investigates the feasibility of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fibre-reinforced composites as a low-cost sustainable composite for producing functional lower-limb prosthetic sockets. Two types of these composites were manufactured using woven and knitted fabric with a vacuum-assisted resin transfer moulding (VARTM) process. For direct comparison purposes, traditional prosthetic-socket materials were also manufactured from laminated composite (glass-fibre-reinforced (GFRP)), monolithic thermoplastic (polypropylene (PP) and high-density polyethylene (HDPE)) were also manufactured. Dog-bone-shaped specimens were cut from flat laminates and monolithic thermoplastic to evaluate their mechanical properties following ASTM standards. The mechanical properties of PET-woven and PET-knitted composites were found to have demonstrated to be considerably superior to those of traditional socket materials, such as PP and HDPE. All the materials were also tested in the socket form using a bespoke test rig reproducing forefoot loading according to the ISO standard 10328. The static structural test of sockets revealed that all met the target load-bearing capacity of 125 kg. Like GFRP, the PETW and PETK sockets demonstrated higher deformation and stiffness resistance than their monolithic counterparts made from PP and HDPE. As a result, it was concluded that the PET-based composite could replace monolithic socket materials in producing durable and affordable prostheses. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T01:35:54Z |
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| id | doaj.art-20275e014f9d47c7b54ea2468c3f784a |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1996-1944 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T01:35:54Z |
| publishDate | 2023-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Materials |
| spelling | doaj.art-20275e014f9d47c7b54ea2468c3f784a2023-11-18T16:57:12ZengMDPI AGMaterials1996-19442023-06-011613460610.3390/ma16134606Strength Assessment of PET Composite Prosthetic SocketsYogeshvaran R. Nagarajan0Farukh Farukh1Vadim V. Silberschmidt2Karthikeyan Kandan3Radheshyam Rathore4Amit Kumar Singh5Pooja Mukul6Institute of Engineering Sciences, School of Engineering and Sustainable Development, De Montfort University, The Gateway, Leicester LE1 9BH, UKInstitute of Engineering Sciences, School of Engineering and Sustainable Development, De Montfort University, The Gateway, Leicester LE1 9BH, UKWolfson School of Mechanical, Electrical and Manufacturing Engineering, Loughborough University, Loughborough LE11 3TU, UKInstitute of Engineering Sciences, School of Engineering and Sustainable Development, De Montfort University, The Gateway, Leicester LE1 9BH, UKDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, Malaviya National Institute of Technology, Jaipur 302017, IndiaDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, Malaviya National Institute of Technology, Jaipur 302017, IndiaBhagwan Mahaveer Viklang Sahayata Samiti (BMVSS), Jaipur 302017, IndiaA prosthesis is loaded by forces and torques exerted by its wearer, the amputee, and should withstand instances of peak loads without failure. Traditionally, strong prosthetic sockets were made using a composite with a variety of reinforcing fibres, such as glass, carbon, and Kevlar. Amputees in less-resourced nations can lack access to composite prosthetic sockets due to their unavailability or prohibitive cost. Therefore, this study investigates the feasibility of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fibre-reinforced composites as a low-cost sustainable composite for producing functional lower-limb prosthetic sockets. Two types of these composites were manufactured using woven and knitted fabric with a vacuum-assisted resin transfer moulding (VARTM) process. For direct comparison purposes, traditional prosthetic-socket materials were also manufactured from laminated composite (glass-fibre-reinforced (GFRP)), monolithic thermoplastic (polypropylene (PP) and high-density polyethylene (HDPE)) were also manufactured. Dog-bone-shaped specimens were cut from flat laminates and monolithic thermoplastic to evaluate their mechanical properties following ASTM standards. The mechanical properties of PET-woven and PET-knitted composites were found to have demonstrated to be considerably superior to those of traditional socket materials, such as PP and HDPE. All the materials were also tested in the socket form using a bespoke test rig reproducing forefoot loading according to the ISO standard 10328. The static structural test of sockets revealed that all met the target load-bearing capacity of 125 kg. Like GFRP, the PETW and PETK sockets demonstrated higher deformation and stiffness resistance than their monolithic counterparts made from PP and HDPE. As a result, it was concluded that the PET-based composite could replace monolithic socket materials in producing durable and affordable prostheses.https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/16/13/4606prosthetic socketsPET fibre-reinforced compositewoven laminateknitted compositetensile testingISO socket testing |
| spellingShingle | Yogeshvaran R. Nagarajan Farukh Farukh Vadim V. Silberschmidt Karthikeyan Kandan Radheshyam Rathore Amit Kumar Singh Pooja Mukul Strength Assessment of PET Composite Prosthetic Sockets Materials prosthetic sockets PET fibre-reinforced composite woven laminate knitted composite tensile testing ISO socket testing |
| title | Strength Assessment of PET Composite Prosthetic Sockets |
| title_full | Strength Assessment of PET Composite Prosthetic Sockets |
| title_fullStr | Strength Assessment of PET Composite Prosthetic Sockets |
| title_full_unstemmed | Strength Assessment of PET Composite Prosthetic Sockets |
| title_short | Strength Assessment of PET Composite Prosthetic Sockets |
| title_sort | strength assessment of pet composite prosthetic sockets |
| topic | prosthetic sockets PET fibre-reinforced composite woven laminate knitted composite tensile testing ISO socket testing |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/16/13/4606 |
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