Customized designs and biomechanical analysis of transtibial prosthetic leg

Abstract

A prosthetic leg is a technical mechanism that is designed as a substitution of the function of a missing limb or body part. This device has been effectively used as an essential tool for amputees. The traditional way of producing the prosthetic leg is very tedious and time consuming. Apart from that, comfortability issue is another problem if using casting method. Therefore, the main purpose of this study is to customize and biomechanically evaluate an prosthetic's socket to produce a better construct for the improvement of performance. In this paper, the methods started with a definition of the construction of the finite element model which is divided into four parts: amputee leg, sockets model, pylon and socket. Later, modelling of the pylon and three-dimensional foot model was taken into consideration. The focus was on the design of the socket then moving to the biomechanical study using a finite element method which involved several analyses of the effects of socket designs as well as its material properties. The sockets were initially developed from a data of 3D scanning with an estimated uniform thickness of 5 mm. The results of the finite element study showed that the perforated socket configuration had better stability in terms of displacement (0.19 mm) and von Mises stress (1.15 MPa), as compared to the conventional socket (stress of 3.22 MPa), and the displacement of 0.19 mm. Meanwhile, open-sided socket experienced von Mises stress of 1.18 MPa and displacement of 0.22 mm. In conclusion, a customized design is a promising technique that can enhance the performance of user in terms of biomechanical aspect.