scholarly journals Carbon fibre reinforced plastic knee-ankle-foot orthosis with a partially flexible thigh cuff: A modification for comfort while sitting on a toilet seat

2007 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 133-137 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Hachisuka ◽  
K. Arai ◽  
M. Arai
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Fibre ◽  
Daily Life ◽  
Acrylic Resin ◽  
Carbon Fibres ◽  
Ankle Foot Orthosis ◽  
Toilet Seat ◽  
Reinforced Plastic ◽  
Carbon Fibre Reinforced Plastic ◽  
Foot Orthosis

At the request of a polio survivor, a partially flexible thigh cuff made of leather and canvas for a carbon KAFO was devised to allow the wearer to feel more comfortable while sitting on a toilet seat. The original, acrylic resin, thigh cuff was partially excised to make an opening (15×10 cm), which was stuffed with rubber sponge, and was sealed with leather and canvas. The opening's surround was vertically and horizontally reinforced with carbon fibres. This modification provided relief to the polio survivor from the discomfort previously experienced while sitting on a toilet seat, and satisfied her needs in daily life.

scholarly journals Laser-Assisted 3D Printing of Carbon Fibre Reinforced Plastic Parts With Sandwiching Fibres Between Plastic Layers

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuki Nakagawa ◽  
Ken-ichiro Mori ◽  
Masahiko Yoshino
Keyword(s):  
3D Printing ◽  
Carbon Fibre ◽  
Lower Layer ◽  
Heating Temperature ◽  
Plastic Layer ◽  
Carbon Fibres ◽  
Reinforced Plastic ◽  
3D Printed ◽  
Carbon Fibre Reinforced Plastic ◽  
Plastic Parts

Abstract A laser-assisted 3D printing process of carbon fibre reinforced plastic parts with sandwiching fibres between plastic layers was developed to improve the bond strength of the fibres to the plastic layers. In this process, the bunded carbon fibres were placed on the 3D-printed lower layer, then the upper plastic layer was deposited on the fibres, and the two layers with sandwiching the fibres were laser-heated. The heating temperature at the interface between the fibres and the plastic layer was changed by the colour of the plastic layer because of the transmittance and absorption of laser beam, and the translucent layer was most appropriate. Not only the strength but also the rigidity of the 3D-printed carbon fibre reinforced plastic part was improved by laser heating. Carbon fibre reinforced plastic parts having closed cross-section was manufactured, and strengthened by optimisation sandwiched fibre orientation. A tailored part locally reinforced by carbon fibres was 3D-printed.

Impact and Damage Localisation of Carbon-Fibre-Reinforced Plastic Plates

PAMM ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 639-640 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andy Ungethuem ◽  
Rolf Lammering
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Fibre ◽  
Reinforced Plastic ◽  
Carbon Fibre Reinforced Plastic

A Robotic Ankle-Foot Orthosis for Daily-Life Assistance and Rehabilitation

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Md Rejwanul Haque ◽  
Hao Zheng ◽  
Saroj Thapa ◽  
Geza Kogler ◽  
Xiangrong Shen
Keyword(s):  
Daily Life ◽  
Human Movement ◽  
Gear Ratio ◽  
Assistive Device ◽  
Wearable Robot ◽  
Performance Goal ◽  
Natural Interaction ◽  
Ankle Foot Orthosis ◽  
Finite State ◽  
Foot Orthosis

The ankle plays an important role in human movement as it supplies the majority of energy to support an individual’s walking. In this paper, the authors present a robotic ankle-foot orthosis (RAFO), which is essentially a wearable robot that acts in parallel to the user’s biological ankle for motion assistance. Unlike most of the existing robotic ankle-foot ortheses, the RAFO in this paper is a compact and portable assistive device with full energy autonomy, which enables its use in a user’s daily life without the typical limitation associated with tethered operation. The primary performance goal in the design of the RAFO is to provide a torque capacity equivalent to 35% of a 75 kg healthy person’s maximum ankle torque in slow walking, while keeping the weight of the device less than 2 kg. To reach such goal, the orthotic joint is actuated with a compact flat motor coupled with a two-stage transmission that provides a total 200:1 gear ratio. Additionally, a novel two-degree-of-freedom (2-DOF) joint design is incorporated. In addition to the powered dorsiflexion – plantarflexion, the 2-DOF joint also allows passive inversion – eversion of the joint, which greatly improves the comfort in the prolonged wearing of the device. For the control of the powered joint, a finite-state, friction-compensated impedance controller is developed to provide natural interaction with the user and reliable triggering of the powered push-off in walking. A prototype of the RAFO has been fabricated and assembled, and preliminary results demonstrated its effectiveness in assisting the user’s locomotion in treadmill walking experiments.

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