Structural reinforcements on AFO's: A study using computer-aided design and finite element method

Gomes, Gilberto; Lourenço, Igor Mancilla; Oliveira, J. Gomes de; Gomes, Maria del Pilar A.M.R.C.; Vale, Alberto; Freire, L.; Quental, P. B.; Policarpo, H.; Matos, Juan-Carlos

doi:10.1109/enbeng.2017.7889432

Cited by 7 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 4 publications

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“…Gomes et al evaluated the effect of structural reinforcements, which are applied to AFOs to prevent the lateral cracks that are occurring over AFOs, by using FEA [27]. They tried to solve a common problem, which is the opening of cracks on the lateral sides of AFOs due to the stress forces applied during the gait cycle, by using some reinforcement methods.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Novel Dorsal Trimline Approach for Passive-Dynamic Ankle-Foot Orthoses

Sürmen¹,

Akalan²,

Fetvaci³

et al. 2018

SV-JME

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An ankle-foot orthosis (AFO) is an externally applied assistive device that encompasses the lower leg, ankle, and foot of the human body. In the current one-piece passive-dynamic AFO design, the trimming process is performed from lateral and medial parts of the ankle to ensure desired rotational displacement (hereafter referred to as Design I). In most cases, stress concentrations occurring over the trimmed regions during walking can cause permanent damage to the AFO. In this study, to reduce the stress concentration and ensure a homogeneous stress distribution, a new trimming approach is presented, in which the trim zones were transferred from lateral and medial to dorsal (hereafter referred to as Design II). Finite element analyses of the Designs I and II models were carried out. Displacement and von Mises stress values for both models under the same loading and boundary conditions were obtained. Maximum displacement values were 8.51 mm and 9.05 mm for Design I and Design II, respectively. Maximum stress values were 15.19 MPa and 6.70 MPa for Design I and Design II, respectively. For the similar range of motion of ankle joint, the novel design produced less stress and more homogeneous stress distribution than the currently used design, thus indicating that Design II would be more resistant to plastic deformation than Design I.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Novel Dorsal Trimline Approach for Passive-Dynamic Ankle-Foot Orthoses

Sürmen¹,

Akalan²,

Fetvaci³

et al. 2018

SV-JME

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“…In this section, articles not including a virtual representation of the patients' limb are inserted: in the most recent study, 34 the impact of using structural reinforcements in different zones of a polyethylene (PE) AFO during the stance phase was investigated. The basic (un-reinforced) AFO model was modified to create seven additional models with reinforcements in different zones.…”

Section: No Inclusion Of the Virtual Representation Of The Patients' ...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Computational and experimental evaluation of the mechanical properties of ankle foot orthoses

Ielapi

Forward

Beule

2019

Prosthetics &Amp; Orthotics International

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Background: Ankle foot orthoses are external medical devices applied around the ankle joint area to provide stability to patients with neurological, muscular, and/or anatomical disabilities, with the aim of restoring a more natural gait pattern. Study design: This is a literature review. Objectives: To provide a description of the experimental and computational methods present in the current literature for evaluating the mechanical properties of the ankle foot orthoses. Methods: Different electronic databases were used for searching English-language articles realized from 1990 onward in order to select the newest and most relevant information available. Results: A total of 46 articles were selected, which describe the different experimental and computational approaches used by research groups worldwide. Conclusion: This review provides information regarding processes adopted for the evaluation of mechanical properties of ankle foot orthoses, in order to both improve their design and gain a deeper understanding of their clinical use. The consensus drawn is that the best approach would be represented by a combination of advanced computational models and experimental techniques, capable of being used to optimally mimic real-life conditions. Clinical relevance In literature, several methods are described for the mechanical evaluation of ankle foot orthoses (AFOs); therefore, the goal of this review is to guide the reader to use the best approach in the quantification of the mechanical properties of the AFOs and to help gaining insight in the prescription process.

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