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In modern times, lower limb amputations have risen in frequency for various reasons, including modern warfare, natural accidents, traffic issues, and diseases. Prostheses are thus often adopted to partially or totally replace a segment of a missing or deficient lower limb, attempting to restore normal functionality and amputee autonomy insofar as possible. However, achieving stable, functional, and comfortable prostheses is a major challenge for the designers and manufacturers of prosthesis sockets. This study thus aimed to develop improvements in terms of the mechanical and physical performance of composite laminates to be used for manufacturing prosthesis sockets. Multiscale hybridisation at both the micro-and macro scales was used to manufacture hybrid composite laminates by means of the vacuum assisted resin infusion method. The response of these materials to compression loading was then investigated using compression-loading testes, while the load-bearing ability was examined using the relevant tensile and flexural strength tests, and heat disputation was studied via thermal conductivity tests. The results showed that hybrid laminate samples such as those made with glass and carbon fabric and those with glass and Kevlar fabric showed improvements in energy absorption, with gains of around 42% and 52% respectively in those materials as compared to non-hybrid laminates (carbon fabrics) during compressive loading tests. In addition, multi-scale hybridisation appears to play a role in improving the tensile strength properties of hybrid composite laminates as compared to composite laminates without hybridisation: the load-bearing capacity of composite laminates across three bending tests was improved by using multi-scale hybridisation, producing peak loads, flexural strengths, and flexural moduli significantly higher than those seen in non-hybrid composites. The results also indicate that hybrid fabrics with thermoplastic particles such as glass and carbon fabrics with filler and glass and Kevlar fabrics with filler showed improvements in thermal conductivity, with those samples showing improvements of around 40% and 30, respectively, as compared to the non-hybrid laminates (carbon fabrics). Thus, these may be successfully used in lower limb prostheses to dissipate heat generated by the wearer during the walking process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to further develop the mechanical properties and fracture toughness of the composite laminates used for manufacturing prosthesis sockets. Various types of hybridisations were thus adopted to manufacture hybrid composite laminates using the vacuum infusion method, and tensile strength tests were then used to investigate the load-bearing ability, while response to impact loading was assessed via impact strength tests. Using various levels of hybridisation, such as the inclusion of glass and carbon fabrics and glass and Kevlar fabrics with fillers, were found to enhance the tensile strength and young's modulus of hybrid composite laminates. In particular, the modulus of elasticity of hybrid composite laminates such as glass and carbon fabrics with fillers and glass and Kevlar with fillers showed improvement in the modulus of elasticity, with increases of around 32% and 17%, respectively, as compared to the same samples without fillers. Further, inclusion of thermoplastic particles in a matrix with various type of fabrics such as glass and Kevlar was found to increase the impact strength and fracture toughness of laminates: glass and carbon fabrics with fillers and glass and Kevlar with fillers showed improvements in fracture toughness of around 13% and 27%, respectively, as compared to the same samples without fillers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]