scholarly journals Experimental Characterisation of the Mechanical Properties of Lightweight 3D Printed Polymer Materials for Biomechanical Application in Ankle-Foot Orthosis

2017 ◽  
Vol 54 (2) ◽  
pp. 396-401 ◽  
Author(s):  
Radu Calin Pahonie ◽  
Amado Stefan ◽  
Ioana Raluca Adochiei ◽  
Carmen Luiza Costuleanu ◽  
Gabriela Gladiola Andruseac ◽  
...  

In lumbar disc herniation a possible functional problem in the ambulation is the Foot-drop syndrome caused by radicular nerve pinching. This causes a dramatic loss in gait cycle efficiency. In the rehabilitation process patients may benefit from wearing a foot orthosis that prevents them from falling and secondary injuries. Evidence in the literature suggests the important correlation between the optimal match of the forces produced during human gait and the rigidity of the constructive materials. The inherent rigidity of the materials plays an important role in determining its biomechanical functions. The paper proposes an experimental and numerical characterization of 3D printed ABS and PLA specimens using a universal traction-compression testing machine and a finite element method numerical simulation.

2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (10) ◽  
pp. 1677-1685 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harish Kumar Banga ◽  
Parveen Kalra ◽  
Rajendra M. Belokar ◽  
Rajesh Kumar

Purpose The purpose of this study is improvement of human gait by customized design of ankle foot orthosis (AFO). An has been the most frequently used orthosis in children with cerebral palsy. AFOs are designed to boost existing features or to avoid depression or traumatize muscle contractures. The advantages of AFO’s utilized for advancement in human walk attributes for the improvement in foot deformities patients or youngsters with spastic loss of motion. In this research on the customized design of AFO's to improve gait, there are limitations during walking of foot drop patients. In children with foot drops, specific AFOs were explicitly altered to improve parity and strength which are beneficial to walking positions. Design/methodology/approach This study proposes the customized design of AFOs using computerized and additive manufacturing for producing advances to alter the design and increase comfort for foot drop patients. Structuring the proposed design fabricated by using additive manufacturing and restricted material, the investigation was finalized at the Design Analysis Software (ANSYS). The system that performs best under investigation can additionally be printed using additive manufacturing. Findings The results show that the customized design of AFOs meets the patient’s requirements and could also be an alternative solution to the existing AFO design. The biomechanical consequences and mechanical properties of additive manufactured AFOs have been comparable to historically synthetic AFOs. While developing the novel AFO designs, the use of 3D printing has many benefits, including stiffness and weight optimization, to improve biomechanical function and comfort. To defeat the issues of foot drop patients, a customized AFO is used to improve the human gait cycle with new material and having better mechanical properties. Originality/value This research work focuses on the biomechanical impacts and mechanical properties of customized 3D-printed AFOs and compares them to traditionally made AFOs. Customized AFO design using 3D printing has numerous potential advantages, including new material with lightweight advancement, to improve biomechanical function and comfort. Normally, new applications mean an incremental collection of learning approximately the behavior of such gadgets and blending the new design, composite speculation and delivered substance production. The test results aim to overcome the new AFO structure issues and display the limited components and stress examination. The outcome of the research is the improved gait cycle of foot drop patients.


2014 ◽  
Vol 46 (8) ◽  
pp. 768-772 ◽  
Author(s):  
F Menotti ◽  
L Laudani ◽  
A Damiani ◽  
P Orlando ◽  
A Macaluso

2020 ◽  
Vol 53 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 519-530
Author(s):  
Shubham Sharma ◽  
Jujhar Singh ◽  
Harish Kumar ◽  
Abhinav Sharma ◽  
Vivek Aggarwal ◽  
...  

This research work has been completed by concentrating on the structure of inserts for foot orthosis fabricated by utilizing rapid prototyping technology. Thermoplastic elastomer and thermoplastic polyurethane are the most commonly used materials that are being used in customized three-dimensional printed orthotic insoles, which are comfortable and prevent the user in many foot disorders. Thermo-softening viscoelastic polymers, explicitly Filaflex and Ninjaflex, have been printed by utilizing Flash Forge three-dimensional printers to evaluate the mechanical properties of specimens with alterations of the percentage rate fill-up design replicas. The results are compared on the basis of hardness test, flexural/bending test, and tensile test using Durometer and Universal Testing Machine (UTM). It has also been observed that the most significant effecting factor is infill density.


2014 ◽  
Vol 60 (Special Issue) ◽  
pp. S25-S30 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Kadnár ◽  
J. Rusnák ◽  
M. Bujna ◽  
J. Valíček ◽  
M. Kušnerová ◽  
...  

The competitive environment forces producers in agricultural machine industry to decrease the costs. Producers as well as sub-suppliers need to find possible savings. The paper presents results of laboratory experiments with real journal bearings made of bimetallic alloy performed to find out possible replacement of a rolling bearing by a journal bearing. An important correlation between the results of laboratory experiments with a model of tribological system and the real journal node can be achieved by a maximum approach of simulation features by real running conditions. Thus, the given experiment conditions result from the chosen application, i.e. a steering servo unit in mobile machines. The experiments were performed on the Tribotestor M'06'' testing machine.


2020 ◽  
Vol 1510 ◽  
pp. 012012
Author(s):  
Temirlan Otepbergenov ◽  
Zhalgas Smagulov ◽  
Anuar Abilgaziyev ◽  
Syuhei Kurokawa ◽  
Md. Hazrat Ali

Author(s):  
Christopher Sullivan ◽  
Elizabeth A. DeBartolo ◽  
Kathleen Lamkin-Kennard

One of the many lasting side effects of a stroke can be foot drop, or an inability to dorsiflex the foot. In order to remedy this, many people wear an ankle-foot orthotic (AFO) post-stroke. One of the many troubles these individuals face is in dealing with obstacles such as stairs and ramps, because the AFO limits the plantarflexion that is natural in navigating these obstacles [1,2]. The end goal of this research is to create an active AFO that adapts to changing ground terrain, providing a more natural gait pattern. This paper presents the first part of this work: a means for identifying terrain in order to control an AFO. This has been accomplished using an infrared (IR) range sensor attached to the lower leg, used to measure the surface profile of the ground just ahead of a test subject. Using a modified RANSAC technique to fit experimental gait data, standardized gait profiles for different terrain have been quantified and shown to be reproducible, indicating the utility of the technique for terrain identification and AFO control.


Micromachines ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 246 ◽  
Author(s):  
Max Männel ◽  
Carolin Fischer ◽  
Julian Thiele

Three-dimensional (3D) printing of microfluidic devices continuously replaces conventional fabrication methods. A versatile tool for achieving microscopic feature sizes and short process times is micro-stereolithography (µSL). However, common resins for µSL lack biocompatibility and are cytotoxic. This work focuses on developing new photo-curable resins as a basis for µSL fabrication of polymer materials and surfaces for cell culture. Different acrylate- and methacrylate-based compositions are screened for material characteristics including wettability, surface roughness, and swelling behavior. For further understanding, the impact of photo-absorber and photo-initiator on the cytotoxicity of 3D-printed substrates is studied. Cell culture experiments with human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) in standard polystyrene vessels are compared to 3D-printed parts made from our library of homemade resins. Among these, after optimizing material composition and post-processing, we identify selected mixtures of poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA) and poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ethyl methacrylate (PEGMEMA) as most suitable to allow for fabricating cell culture platforms that retain both the viability and proliferation of HUVECs. Next, our PEGDA/PEGMEMA resins will be further optimized regarding minimal feature size and cell adhesion to fabricate microscopic (microfluidic) cell culture platforms, e.g., for studying vascularization of HUVECs in vitro.


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