Study of Structural and Mechanical Behavior of HDPE and MCR Used for Prosthetic Foot Implant

Prosthetic foot design plays a critical role in restoring mo- bility and quality of life for individuals with lower- limb ampu- tation, particularly in low-resource settings where affordability, durability, and functional reliability are essential. The Jaipur- Foot prosthesis is widely used due to its low cost and cultural adaptability; however, its long-term structural performance is strongly influenced by material selection. Traditional micro- cellular rubber (MCR), while offering flexibility and shock absorption, has been associated with excessive deformation and limited fatigue resistance under repetitive loading. Despite the increasing clinical adoption of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) as an alternative prosthetic material, a direct component-level numerical comparison between HDPE and MCR for Jaipur-Foot applications remains limited. In this study, a Jaipur-Foot–inspired three-dimensional model was developed using computer-aided design and evaluated through finite element analysis. Static structural analysis was performed under physiological load levels ranging from 600 N to 1200 N, followed by fatigue life estimation and topology optimization using ANSYS Mechanical. The results indicate that HDPE exhibits a more uniform stress distribution and controlled deformation compared to MCR across all loading conditions. Under a 1200 N load, the maximum equivalent stress remained below 9 × 105 Pa for HDPE, while fatigue life predictions showed a significantly higher endurance compared to MCR. Topology optimization further demonstrated the potential for material reduction with- out compromising structural safety. Overall, the findings suggest that HDPE offers improved structural reliability and fatigue performance over conventional MCR, highlighting its suitability as a biomaterial for durable and cost-effective Jaipur-Foot prosthetic applications.