Design by Analysis & Development of Prosthetic Foot

Abstract

Amputation is life changing event that greatly influences person’s life in terms of mental thinking patterns to regular day to day activities and has become one of the most common surgical activity which is carried out in order to treat the medical issues regarding advanced diabetes, trauma, road or field accidents and vascular insufficiency.

The aim of this work is to carry out design by analysis and thus to develop the prosthetic foot which satisfies the amputee’s need in most comfortable way at the same time offers all major functionalities offered by sound human foot with aesthetically pleasing appearance, reduced weight and economical as well as reliable to use in regular day to day life activities.

Design parameters have been established after bio-mechanical study of human gait cycle to develop new concept. Three concepts have been developed, simulated and modified to final concept as per improvements required and the same is prototyped from carbon/epoxy composite material by compression molding process. In the simulation FEA model of quasi-isotropic laminate of carbon/epoxy composite material has been analyzed for 204Kg human weight’s capacity and Von-misses stress has been checked with maximum allowable stress.