Enhancement of the flexural and impact properties laminated biocomposite by new natural fibres for artificial lower limb socket

• Published in: Advances in materials and processing technologies (Abingdon, England) England), 2022-10, Vol.8 (4), p.4347-4364
• Main Authors: Faheed, Noor K., Hamad, Qahtan A., Oleiwi, Jawad K.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: cotton; flax; flexural; impact; Natural fibre; prosthetic; sisal
• ISSN: 2374-068X; 2374-0698
• DOI: 10.1080/2374068X.2022.2073052

For several purposes, involving sickness, injuries, and genetic abnormalities, artificial limbs may be necessitated. Artificial limbs must be altered and modified regularly since the human physique vagaries with time owing to gaining or changing body mass. The utilisation of natural fibres as a potential substitute for fabricating a below-knee prosthesis socket will be highlighted in this study. To construct a below-knee socket, a vacuum bagging process was utilised. Woven flax, sisal, cotton, carbon, and glass fibre have formed in the laminates. The effect of various fibre stacking patterns on certain physical and mechanical properties was investigated. Multiple mechanical tests, including flexural, maximum shear stress, and impact tests, were performed as part of the experimental portion of this work. The findings of this study revealed that ingesting various kinds of reinforcing materials had a significant impact on the characteristics of fabricated composites, with the virtues of (flexural strength, flexural modulus, max. Shear stress, impact strength, and fracture toughness) improving as the volume fraction of materials increased. This review focuses on the assets of flax, sisal, and cotton fibre hybrid strengthened PMMA composites (hybridised in a variety of volume proportions and lamination layups) that have yet to be tested as a superior alternative for the creation of prosthetic sockets.