Prosthetic Ventilation to Increase

Thermal Comfort for Lower Limb

Amputees
Meredith Bachman, Lauren Cain, Katie Chesnick, Emma
Christensen, Samantha Tracy

S1G2
Introduction
● Reasons for the study: thermal discomfort, skin irritation
○ Results in a poor quality of life and secondary pain
■ Mobility issues: intact limb pain, back pain, poor balance, instability, fatigue, reduced
mobility
■ Skin issues: mechanically-induced irritations, allergic reactions, and bacterial or fungal
infections, overheating of skin on stump
● cysts, calluses, eczema, allergic contact dermatitis, rash, etc
● People who would benefit from improved lower limb prosthetics:
○ Amputees, those born without lower limbs, those who lost limbs in the line of duty
● Aim is to create a sturdy, yet durable design that reduces the thermal discomfort
of the device while maintaining a high level of support
Abstract
● Designed a new prosthetic socket to help lower the amount of heat generated in
the socket
○ Pick a new material and design
○ Chose most efficient design
● Modeled 3 different geometries in COMSOL with 2 material types
○ Current design and material: no ventilation
○ Geometries to test: No ventilation, slits, same sized circles, different sized circles
○ Materials to test: Polypropylene and Thermoplastic Streifyflex (EVA)
Goals of the Study
Short Term:
● Decrease the amount of heat generated in the socket
● Ensure comfort and stability
● Immediately improve the quality of life for amputees

Long Term:
● Decrease trips to the doctor due to dermatological issues
caused by heat flux
● Save money, resources, and time for patients, doctors, and
insurance companies
Physics
Heat Transfer in Solids: test for thermal comfort

Solid Mechanics: quality control check to ensure the prosthetic can support the weight
of a person

Study Type
Heat Transfer Test: Solid Mechanics Test:
Transient to Not time dependent
model thermal change F=ma
over time Stress= F/A
Geometry
Current Real Geometry Current Geometry Represented in COMSOL

https://www.ottobockus.com/prosthetics/lower-
limb-prosthetics/solution-overview/
 Initial Conditions Boundary Conditions
● Initial temperature of the entire
● The outside of the socket is insulated
socket is room temperature

● Heat flux on inner boundaries

○ q0=h(Text- T)
○ h= 4.7 W/m^2K (for skin)
○ Text= 310 K
Material Testing
Socket Materials
● Polypropylene (copolymer)
○ Most widely used
○ Strongest sheet plastic available
○ Material of choice for custom designs

● Ethylene Vinyl Acetate

○ Flexible and transparent thermoplastic
○ Low temperature flexibility
○ Lightweight and impact resistant
PolyPropylene EVA
Slight difference
in temperature
after 5000
seconds.

Material Choice:

PolyPropylene
Geometry Testing
Geometry
Test 1: Slits Test 2: Same Sized Circles Test 3: Different Sized Circles

Space Dimension: Radius at opening: 4.5 cm

2-D Axisymmetric model used for all tests
Mesh
Physics Defined Mesh - “Normal” Mesh
Results and Plots

The average temperature is 308.73 K (96.044 F) The average temperature is 307.76 K (94.298 F)
Results and Plots

The average temperature is 307.75 K (94.28 F) The average temperature is 307.63 K (94.064 F)
Results and Plots

Non-uniform circle design chosen

Quality Assurance Stress Testing
Physical Settings-Initial Conditions
Initial displacement and structural
velocity field set to 0
Physical Settings-Boundary Conditions
Chose to model a 300 lb person to ensure
the prosthetic would be strong enough
people of varying sizes

150 lb on each leg

Fixed Constraint
Stress Test Results
● The yield strength for polypropylene is on the order of MPa

Test Model: 300 lb

person, 150 lbs on one
leg

The stress test shows our design will experience a maximum load on the order of KPa
Discussion
The results show that the best material type is polypropylene and the best geometry is
the one with non-uniform holes.

● Reduces trapped heat

● Still would withstand the stress that would be applied
● Even though there is not a large change in temperature, the new geometry allows
for more evaporative cooling of the residual limb
○ The evaporative cooling is not able to be modeled in COMSOL but the extra ventilation will allow
it to occur
Conclusion
● We were able to successfully design an improved model
○ Reduced the average temperature the socket would reach overall
○ Decided the original material that is used in most prosthetic sockets works better than the new one
we tested
○ Created a new geometry that allows for more aeration
○ This would improve quality of life for patients and reduce doctor visits saving time, money, and
resources
References
● https://omnexus.specialchem.com/selection-guide/ethylene-vinyl-acetate/properties-of-eva (material properties of EVA)
● https://www.makeitfrom.com/material-properties/Ethylene-Vinyl-Acetate-EVA/ (material properties of EVA)
● http://www.sdplastics.com/pdf/pp.pdf (material properties of polypropylene)
● https://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/specific-heat-capacity-d_391.html
● https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9195861
● https://www.ineos.com/globalassets/ineos-group/businesses/ineos-olefins-and-polymers-usa/products/technical-information--
patents/ineos-engineering-properties-of-pp.pdf (PP engineering properties)
● http://www.oandplibrary.org/op/1984_04_041.asp (PP description)