PSI - Issue 42

Available online at www.sciencedirect.com Structural Integrity Procedia 00 (2019) 000 – 000 Available online at www.sciencedirect.com ^ĐŝĞŶĐĞ ŝƌĞĐƚ

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ScienceDirect

Procedia Structural Integrity 42 (2022) 903–910

© 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0) Peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the 23 European Conference on Fracture – ECF23 Abstract A lower-limb socket is an integral part of a prosthesis with functions to connect the residual limb and transfer the loads to the prosthesis. As a result of long and costly traditional manufacturing methods, assessing the mechanical performance of such products is challenging. With additive manufacturing gaining ground in healthcare and rehabilitation, it is even more important for such products to be analyzed to ensure that they comply with the required safety regulations. In this study, sockets were 3D printed employing PLA from two different manufacturers, and mechanically tested to assess their ultimate strength. Results of finite element analysis (FEA) informed their redesigns that were created reinforcing the sockets at the stress-concentration areas for improved mechanical performance. It was shown that FEA can assist the development of designs with improved performance. The material choice was found to have the strongest effect; hence, serious considerations need to be taken when selecting the material, especially for healthcare applications, to maintain high safety standards. © 2020 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/) Peer-review under responsibility of 23 European Conference on Fracture - ECF23 Keywords: Mechanical performance; Prosthetic socket; Additive manufacturing 1. Introduction A prosthetic socket is the part of the prosthesis that attaches to the residual limb. It is usually produced using thermoplastics or reinforced polymeric resins and, unlike other off-the-shelf parts, it is a bespoke product tailored to the needs of each user, but its manufacturing process can be long and costly. Especially for lower-limb prosthetses it tho This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativeco 23 European Conference on Fracture - ECF23 Mechanical performance of 3D printed prosthetic sockets: An experimental and numerical study Theodoros Marinopoulos a , Simin Li a , Vadim V. Silberschmidt a, 0 F * a Wolfson Svhool of Mechanical, Electrical and Manufacturing Engineering, Loughborough University, Loughborough, LE11 3TU, Leicestershire, UK o a a a, 0 F

* Corresponding author. Tel.: +0-000-000-0000 ; fax: +0-000-000-0000 . E-mail address: V.Silberschmidt@lboro.ac.uk

2452-3216 © 2020 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/) Peer-review under responsibility of 23 European Conference on Fracture - ECF23

2452-3216 © 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0) Peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the 23 European Conference on Fracture – ECF23 10.1016/j.prostr.2022.12.114