Abstract
The prosthetic feet that are most often prescribed to individuals with K3/K4 levels of ambulation are the ESR feet. ESR stands for energy-storing and -releasing. The elastic energy is stored by the elastic elements in composite materials (carbon fiber or glass fiber). ESR feet must be developed and optimized in terms of stiffness, taking into account the loads that a healthy human foot undergoes and its kinematics while walking. So far, state-of-the-art analyses show that the literature approaches for prosthetic foot design are not based on a systematic methodology. With the aim of optimizing the stiffness of ESR feet following a methodological procedure, a methodology based on finite element structural analysis, standard static testing (ISO 10328) and functional verification was optimized and it is presented in this paper. During the path of optimization of the foot prototypes, this methodology was validated experimentally. It includes the following: (i) geometry optimization through two-dimensional finite element analysis; (ii) material properties optimization through three-dimensional finite element analysis; (iii) validation test on physical prototypes; (iv) functionality verification through dynamic finite element analysis. The design and functional verification of MyFlex-γ, a three-blade ESR foot prosthesis, is presented to describe the methodology and demonstrate its usability.
Highlights
Current commercially available prostheses are mostly energy-storing -and -releasing (ESR) feet and they are the most prescribed prosthetic feet for individuals with K3 andK4 levels of ambulation
ESR feet are passive prosthetic devices made of elastic elements, which ensure the ESR feet work as springs that store energy during the mid-stance of the gait cycle and release it for the propulsion during late stance [1,2]
Stiffness depends on the geometries and the material properties, especially for ESR feet [3,4], and the choice of the global stiffness category of foot prostheses depends on the weight and the users’ activity levels [5]
Summary
Current commercially available prostheses are mostly energy-storing -and -releasing (ESR) feet and they are the most prescribed prosthetic feet for individuals with K3 andK4 levels of ambulation. Current commercially available prostheses are mostly energy-storing -and -releasing (ESR) feet and they are the most prescribed prosthetic feet for individuals with K3 and. ESR feet are passive prosthetic devices made of elastic elements, which ensure the ESR feet work as springs that store energy during the mid-stance of the gait cycle and release it for the propulsion during late stance [1,2]. Stiffness depends on the geometries and the material properties, especially for ESR feet [3,4], and the choice of the global stiffness category of foot prostheses depends on the weight and the users’ activity levels [5]. The few active ankle prosthetic devices on the market are joined to feet by a system of composite leaf springs (see Table 1 for remarkable examples).
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