Modeling and Manufacturing of a Flexible Socket for Above-Knee Amputation Prosthesis
Received: 27 December 2024 | Revised: 11 January 2025 | Accepted: 18 January 2025 | Online: 13 February 2025
Corresponding author: Marwa Qasim Ibraheem
Abstract
There is a high incidence of Above-Knee (AK) amputations in Iraq due to factors, such as war, birth defects, explosives, and accidents. The development of advanced prosthetic solutions is critical in improving the comfort and life quality of the amputees. Traditional prosthetic sockets for AK amputations often cause discomfort, limit mobility, and increase the risk of secondary health issues, such as scoliosis. Creating a socket that balances both support and flexibility for the amputee, addressing these concerns while also ensuring comfort and ease of use is a major challenge. The objective of this project is to design a prosthetic socket combining stiff and flexible materials to optimize comfort, support, and functionality for AK amputees. The goal is to develop a socket that alleviates back discomfort, reduces the risk of scoliosis, and improves suspension while being easier to wear and more aesthetically pleasing. This project employs a composite material approach, using a combination of silicon, carbon, perlon, and laminate to create the socket. The socket is designed in two parts: the first part utilizes rigid materials to support the weight of the amputee, while the second part incorporates flexible materials to allow for muscle movement during gait. Tensile tests were conducted to determine the mechanical properties of silicon with perlon, and the performance of the flexible socket was evaluated in terms of pressure distribution and comfort. The tensile testing of silicon with perlon yielded a Young's modulus of 0.0165 GPa, a yield strength of 0.283 MPa, and an ultimate tensile strength of 1.386 MPa. Additionally, the maximum F-socket pressure measured in the anterior region was 490 kPa.
Keywords:
carbon fiber, hardener, silicone rubber, tensile test, flexible socket, F-socket, force plate, solid workDownloads
References
R. Seymour, Prosthetics and Orthotics: Lower Limb and Spinal. Philadelphia, PA, USA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2002.
A. J. Thurston, "Pare and Prosthetics: The Early History of Artificial Limbs," ANZ Journal of Surgery, vol. 77, no. 12, pp. 1114–1119, 2007.
C. H. Pritham, "Biomechanics and shape of the above-knee socket considered in light of the ischial containment concept," Prosthetics and Orthotics International, vol. 14, no. 1, pp. 9–21, Apr. 1990.
T. J. Moore, "3: Planning for Optimal Function in Amputation Surgery," in Atlas of Limb Prosthetics: Surgical, Prosthetic, and Rehabilitation Principles, J. W. Michael and J. H. Bowker, Eds. Mosby Inc, 1992.
G. E. Jeffries, J. Angelico, A. Denison, and J. Kaiser, "Prosthetic Primer: Fitting for Hip Disarticulation and Hemi-pelvectomy Level Amputations," inMotion, vol. 9, no. 2, Mar. 1999.
X. Cao, X. Ni, W. Liu, J. Wang, T. Li, and F. Li, "Geometric Modeling of Prosthetic Socket," Chinese Journal of Rehabilitation Theory and Practice, vol. 12, pp. 283–285, 2009.
M. S. Haider F. Neama, D. S. K. Radhi, and M. J. Jweeg, "An experimental comparative study between polypropylene and laminated lower limb prosthetic socket," Al-Khwarizmi Engineering Journal, vol. 3, no. 1, pp. 40–47, 2007.
M. J. Gerschutz, M. L. Haynes, D. M. Nixon, and J. M. Colvin, "Tensile strength and impact resistance properties of materials used in prosthetic check sockets, copolymer sockets, and definitive laminated sockets," Journal of rehabilitation research and development, vol. 48, no. 8, pp. 987–1004, Jan. 2011.
J. S. Chiad, "Study the Impact Behavior of the Prosthetic Lower Limb Lamination Materials due to Low Velocity Impactor," in 12th Biennial Conference on Engineering Systems Design and Analysis, Copenhagen, Denmark, Jul. 2014, pp. 1–10.
K. K. Resan, I. R. Abd Al-razaq, and Y. K. Ibrahim, "Design and Manufacturing of Prosthetic Below Knee Socket by Modular Socket System," Journal of Engineering and Sustainable Development, vol. 20, no. 2, pp. 147–162, Oct. 2024.
S. M. Abbas, G. S. Sadiq, and M. A. Sattar, "Improving the Composite Materials for Bi Lateral Prosthesis with Below Knee Amputation," Materials Science Forum, vol. 1002, pp. 379–388, 2020.
A. P. Irawan, T. P. Soemardi, W. Kusumaningsih, and A. H. S. Reksoprodjo, "Tensile and flexural strength of ramie fiber reinforced epoxy composites for socket prosthesis application," International Journal of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, vol. 6, no. 1, pp. 46–50, 2011.
M. K. Owen and J. D. DesJardins, "Transtibial Prosthetic Socket Strength: The Use of ISO 10328 in the Comparison of Standard and 3D-Printed Sockets," JPO: Journal of Prosthetics and Orthotics, vol. 32, no. 2, pp. 93–100, Apr. 2020.
Z. H. Zaier and K. K. Resan, "Effect of the gait speed on a new prosthetic shank below knee," Journal of Engineering and Sustainable Development, vol. 26, no. 4, pp. 63–69, Jul. 2022.
K. K. Resan, Y. K. Ibrahim, and S. H. Chaloob, "Stress Relaxation on Prosthetic Laminated Socket Materials," Journal of Engineering and Development, vol. 20, no. 3, pp. 110–124, 2015.
M. Q. Ibraheem, N. H. Obaeed, and H. H. Abdulridha, "Optimizing the MRR in WEDM process by using Taguchi analysis and GA technique," AIP Conference Proceedings, vol. 3002, no. 1, Jun. 2024, Art. no. 050013.
Downloads
How to Cite
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Hala Salman Hasan, Saif Mohammed Abbas, Salsabil K. Mohammed, Marwa Qasim Ibraheem
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain the copyright and grant the journal the right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) after its publication in ETASR with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
