A Finite Element Simulation of Nano Effects on Stress Distribution in a Below Knee Prosthetic

Abstract

In the authors’ previous work, various mechanical properties such as modulus of elasticity, strength, creep, impact and fatigue behaviours for different laminates composites with and without different Nano-material additions and reinforcements with different types of fibres were tested experimentally. The four best lamination types and suitable Nano-material percentages were used in this work to develop a numerical investigation of a below knee prosthesis, facilitating the investigation of the effect of different Nano-material types and weight fractions on the stress and deformation in below-knee socket prosthetic structures manufactured from composite laminated materials with various reinforcement fibres. Numerical analysis using the finite element method was adopted to estimate the Von Mises stresses and deformation behaviours for the below-knee prosthetic structures, with the mechanical properties of the relevant composite materials taken from previous published work. The comparison of different Nano-material types and weight fractions suggested that the best Nano-material was SiO2 at a weight fraction of about 2% for the sample 2Perlon+2Kevlar+1Perlon+2Carbon+1Perlon+2Kevlar+2Perlon, where the stress for the socket was reduced by about 40%, with a reduction in the deformation of about 38%.