Static and Fatigue Analysis on Polypropylene and Microcellular Rubber Used for Prosthetic Foot Implant

This study proposes the PP–MCR foot, a modified Jaipur Foot design that uses Polypropylene (PP) as the primary structural material with a Microcellular Rubber (MCR) surface coating. A geometrically precise three-dimensional model was constructed based on Indian foot size 6 dimensions using CATIA V5 to provide an accurate representation of load transfer during gait. Finite element analysis was performed with ANSYS to assess mechanical performance under standingphase loads ranging from 500 N to 700 N. Static structural study was carried out on both the proposed PP-MCR foot and the current MCR foot (jaipur foot) under same loading conditions. Fatigue analysis of the PP-MCR foot predicts a minimum life of 1 × 10⁷ cycles, with good safety factors and uniform damage distribution, showing enhanced long-term durability under cyclic loads. Furthermore, topology optimization was carried out on the PP–MCR foot in order to enhance material efficiency and identify non-critical areas. Overall, the combined static, fatigue, and topology optimization results show that the proposed PP-MCR Jaipur Foot is a more durable, structurally efficient, and cost-effective alternative to the conventional MCR design.