Tensile and buckling of prosthetic pylon made from hybrid composite materials

Abstract EN

Compared to traditional prosthetic pylon materials (Aluminum, Titanium, or Stainless steel.), composite prosthetic pylon materials are used instead of metals.

Vacuum bagging technique was adopted for the preparation of specimens made of Poly methyl methacrylate (PMMA) as matrix with constant Perlon layers and different number of Hybrid (Carbon + Glass) fibers layers as reinforcement materials at (±45º&0º/90º) orientation relative to applied load.

Also the finite element method (ANSYS-15) were used by create a model of prosthetic pylon and applied compressive load at heel strike step from gait cycle to known the critical buckling stress.

The experimental and numerical results shown that the tensile strength, modulus of elasticity, and critical buckling stress increases with increasing number of Hybrid fibers layers, that equal to (145 MPa, 6.25 GPa, and 670 MPa) respectively, and the percentage of increase in tensile strength, modulus of elasticity, and critical buckling stress for specimen with three Hybrid (Carbon + Glass) layers and Perlon layers in PMMA resin compared with pure PMMA specimen was (302.7% , 300% & 257.22%) respectively, at (0º/90º) fibers orientation relative to tensile force.