Application of Natural Fibers as Composite Reinforcement Materials in Fabrication of Trans-Tibial Prosthetic Sockets

Prosthesis is an artificial device that replaces a missing body part, which may be lost because of trauma, disease, or a condition present at birth (congenital disorder). The main component of the prosthesis is the prosthetic socket which is the device that joins the residual limb (stump) to the prosthesis and is manufactured using thermoplastics or thermosetting plastics. The constant need for change or adjustment may become costly if the material used is expensive. Conventional composite materials used for prosthetic limb sockets include acrylic resins, glass and carbon fibers, which produce harmful gases and dust in their manufacture and are very costly3. Bio-composites (natural fiber composites) from local and renewable resources offer significant sustainability; industrial ecology, eco-efficiency, and green chemistry are guiding the development of the next generation of materials, products, and processes. The growing global environmental and social concerns, high percentage of exhaustion of petroleum resources, and new environmental regulations have forced the search for new composites, compatible with the environment. In this study we have used natural fibers derived from bamboo plants to manufacture prosthetic sockets and compared their performance with prosthetic sockets manufactured using fiber glass 2, 7. The results obtained from the comparative tests were highly encouraging.