The effect of hybridisation reinforcement on the mechanical and physical properties of under-knee prosthesis sockets made of composite laminates.

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]