Design and Analysis a New prosthetic Foot made of Discontinuous Glass Fiber
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24237/djes.2026.19309Keywords:
Prosthetic foot, Composite materials, Glass fiber, Mechanical properties, Fatigue testAbstract
The present study introduces a novel design of passive prosthetic foot based on the principle of energy storage and release to enhance gait performance. Also, due to noticeable limited applications of discontinuous glass fiber in prosthetic industry, the primary objective is to investigate the fiber mechanical performance as an alternative to the typical high-cost constituents such as s-glass and carbon fibers. To achieve this goal, the key biomechanical parameters were evaluated namely: weight, cost, forward energy and foot movement in different planes. To begin, the mechanical properties of short glass fiber combined with polyester resin were experimentally determined through tensile and fatigue testing. Finite element software, SolidWorks and Ansys, were employed to simulate the developed prototype for 80 kg individual. Numerically calculated mass of the new counterpart is 0.45 kg, fulfilling the essential demand for lightweight structure. Furthermore, the current design provides an adequate level of energy storage 0.19 J/kg, satisfying the commonly accepted range 0.10-0.40 J/kg for most prosthetic feet. The calculated plantar flexion of 10.2°is consistent with the established heel flexibility limits 5°-30°. In the frontal plane, the foot safely twisted to 26.5° reflecting a proper rolling compared to the previously recorded data up to 30°. Finally, the utilization of discontinuous glass fiber reduced the cost roughly 50% compared to s-glass and 70% compared to carbon fiber. Thus, the study findings demonstrated an optimal balance of low weight, high mechanical strength and economic feasibility of discontinuous glass fiber as a reliable candidate for advanced prosthetic solutions
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Copyright (c) 2026 Mohammed Ismael Hameed
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