Comfortable Design Of Adjustable Dimension Prosthetic Socket: Finite Element Case Study

The prosthetic socket is the main part of the lower limb prosthetic. This part of the prosthetic needs to change when the stump size of the patient has changed.This study aims to design an adjustable socket to change the dimension to the required size without manufacturing a new socket. In this study, the model was designed using the SolidWorks software and analyzed numerically with the ANSYS software. A tensile and fatigue test was performed for the materials used in manufacturing the socket, as well as an F-Socket test on an amputated person to measure the interface pressure between the stump and the socket to be used as a boundary condition during the numerical analysis process.The results showed the success of the model designed to be an alternative to the traditional model, thus saving costs in cases of socket manufacturing due to the process of growth or change in the size of the stump. The results also showed the possibility of using carbon fiber filament material as an alternative to polypropylene material and using additive manufacturing technology instead of the expensive methods currently used.The model designed in this study provides the possibility of changing its size to be suitable for the size of the stump when its size changes, especially in cases of growth of the stump of children who suffer from the amputation of their lower limbs, thus saving the time and costs necessary to manufacture a new socket in communities that suffer from poverty and lack of resources in developing countries.