Abstract
The socket plays an important role in prostheses by providing structural integrity and suspension to the distal thigh of an amputee. Heat accumulation and weight of the socket increase the energy consumption in the amputee. To overcome the same, widely used polyester-based sandwich-structured composite was reinforced with 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8, and 1 wt% multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) and analyzed for the thermal and mechanical properties. MWCNT added in a small weight proportion with polyester enhances the mechanical properties of the resulting nanocomposites as they have excellent mechanical and physical properties. The flexural and thermal property was evaluated as per ASTM D790 and ISO 22007-2 standard. It was noticed that the thermal property enhances with increase in wt% of MWCNT and mechanical properties decreased when more than 0.6 wt% MWCNT was reinforced. Hence, the sandwich-structured composite was prepared using polyester resin, 2 to 10 stockinette layers, fiberglass cloth, and 0.6 wt% of MWCNT. The thermal conductivity and flexural strength of 0.6 wt% MWCNT-reinforced sandwich-structured composite were enhanced upto 68.4% and 11.4% for 2-10 stockinette layers, respectively, while comparing to the unreinforced polyester sandwich-structured composite. The 0.6 wt% MWCNT-reinforced sandwich-structured composite may help in reducing the weight and heat build up in the socket. Hence, it is recommended to analyze further on their application in transfemoral socket preparation to bring down an amputee’s metabolic cost.
Highlights
Amputation in the lower limb is one of the most traumatic happenings in a person’s life
Hoang and Yum [28] reinforced 0.1 wt% of multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) with polyester composite, and the results show 8.64% intensification in the tensile strength and 14.58% intensification in Young’s modulus
0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8, and 1 wt% chemically treated MWCNT was reinforced with polyester resin to prepare the composite
Summary
Amputation in the lower limb is one of the most traumatic happenings in a person’s life. In addition to the loss of functionality, economic, social, and psychological life of the amputee faces immense consequences, [1]. The lower limbs have very complex structure and are highly articulated to accomplish versatile and sophisticated joint movements. Transfemoral amputation is a surgical measure to sever the lower limb above the knee joint. As per Census India 2011, among the disabled people, 20% suffers from locomotive disability where male and female represent about 22%and 18%, respectively. 18.5% of people with limb loss are transfemoral amputees. As of 2005, 1.6 million people in the US are suffering from limb loss, and by 2050, it is predicted to be 3.6 million people [2]
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