This work is about a prosthesis destined for the people of Senegal and the victims of mines that have been spread throughout countries involved in war. The purpose of this study is to design a new, low-cost prosthesis using the materials produced in Senegal: teak wood and iron (AISI 304). In order to optimize the design of the new prosthesis, a methodology was developed to evaluate stress patterns for different configurations. A commercial CAD and ANSYS Workbench were used to define prosthesis geometry and to perform Finite Element Analysis. Load and constraints were defined according to Regulation ISO10328-2006, and stress distribution was estimated using the FE model. Fatigue due to the cycling load was also taken into account. The two materials currently used in western countries, titanium and steel (AISI 1020), were compared to iron and teak in order to determine the prosthesis' lifespan based on the differences in structural behaviors. An experimental, non-contact measurement technique based on the Thermoelastic principle is proposed here to validate the FE model. This technique permits the evaluation of superficial stress patterns on the prosthesis subjected to a cyclic load. A loading rig was built to test the prosthesis, and experimental and FEM results were compared to allow qualitative mechanical assessment of the new prosthesis. The finding of this work was that the prosthesis can indeed be built using autochthonous materials such as teak and iron. Moreover, the methodology proposed can be used for the performance prediction and design of new prostheses using materials that are typically expensive or difficult to test (such as wood), allowing for optimization of the geometry based on stress distribution, an increase in reliability and a decrease in costs.
Studies on Stress Distribution under Simulated Muscleson Dry Skull Utilizing Thermoelastic Stress Imaging Method. Part I. Comparison of Thermoelastic Stress Imaging Method and Strain Gage Method.
