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Material Performance Evaluation for Customized Orthoses: Compression, Flexural, and Tensile Tests Combined with Finite Element Analysis

Authors :
Daniela Trindade
Rachel Habiba
Cristiana Fernandes
André A. Costa
Rui Silva
Nuno Alves
Rui Martins
Cândida Malça
Ricardo Branco
Carla Moura
Source :
Polymers, Vol 16, Iss 18, p 2553 (2024)
Publication Year :
2024
Publisher :
MDPI AG, 2024.

Abstract

Orthoses are commonly used for treating injuries to improve the quality of life of patients, with customized orthoses offering significant benefits. Additive manufacturing, especially fused deposition modelling, enhances these benefits by providing faster, more precise, and more comfortable orthoses. The present study evaluates nine polymeric materials printed in horizontal and vertical directions by assessing their performance through compressive, flexural, and tensile tests. Among all materials, polycarbonate, polylactic acid, and ULTEMTM 1010 showed the most promising results, not only because they had the highest mechanical values, but also due to their minimal or no difference in performance between printing directions, making them advantageous in orthoses fabrication. Based on this, a finite element model of an ankle–foot orthosis was developed to simulate the deformation, strain, and stress fields under static conditions. The findings aim to optimize material selection for orthotic fabrication, where ULTEMTM 1010 is presented as the material with improved performance and durability.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
16182553 and 20734360
Volume :
16
Issue :
18
Database :
Directory of Open Access Journals
Journal :
Polymers
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsdoj.4c47b9ba36b04587adb4e3fdde5a8833
Document Type :
article
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.3390/polym16182553