Mitigating Mechanical Limitations to Widespread

Adoption of Jaipur Foot

Part TWO

Yash Shinde, 16410031

Aditya Sharma, 16118007

Under the guidance of:

Dr Vivek Pancholi, Associate Professor, MMED
1. Summary of Previous Work
In the previous work, we discussed the design and material scheme evolution of the Jaipur foot
and outlined the objectives that it was supposed to meet: [1]
1. Optimal cosmetic appeal. Not requiring a shoe.
2. Water-proof exterior. Durable.
3. Dorsiflexion permittance.
4. Transverse rotation.
5. Enough inversion and eversion to adapt to walking on uneven surfaces.
6. Inexpensive.
7. Made of readily available materials.
The present-day Jaipur foot has evolved from the SACH foot [2], which suffered from following
limitations:

 The solid ankle design of the SACH foot was limited dorsiflexion
 The limited range of inversion and eversion was suited only for walking on level grounds.
 The lack of dorsiflexion hindered normal functions like squatting, sitting cross-legged,
standing on toes etc.
 The foot once bare looked aesthetically unpleasing.
The Jaipur foot overcame the following limitations by incorporating the following features:

 Rubber enclosure for providing protection and aesthetic appeal

 Three separate blocks of rubber in the ankle to mimic mid-tarsal and toe-breaks
 Hard sponge rubber for toes
 Tread rubber sole for wear protection

Figure 1: Sagittal Section of SACH foot

Figure 2: Sagittal Section of SACH foot

We discussed how Jaipur foot is a widely used prosthetic in India, with over 1 billion pieces
distributed, we outlined the following challenges to its adoption in the west: [3]
1. Premature cracking of the microcellular rubber in particularly heavy-weighing Western
population [5,6]
2. Heavier than a natural foot [7,8,9,10]
3. Lack of a design standards and skilled artisans for making the foot
We particularly aim at working towards mitigating the first two problems, by proposing two novel
solutions.
2. Proposed Solutions:
In general, crack propagation in solids can be restricted by reducing the stress at the crack tip.
This can be achieved via the following:
1. Absorption and dissipation of crack energy
2. Blunting of crack tip

2.1 Material Consideration: Using Filler Reinforcement Rubber

Reinforcing filler is a particulate material that can increase the tensile strength, tear resistance and
abrasion resistance of natural or synthetic rubber. [4]

Reinforcement fillers, in general have the following characteristics:

 Very small size, typically in 10-100 nm
 High surface area
 Chemically active surface sites
 Higher modulus of rigidity than that of the surrounding matrix

A filler such as silica and carbon black have a significant effect on the properties of an elastomer,
often increasing its mechanical durability and elastic properties, and modify sorption and
permeability for diffusions. The swelling characteristics of the filler modify the elastomer. Systems
depend on filler size, surface area, position. Aggregation, filler volume, and interactions between
the filler particles and the matrix. Compatible, passive the filler polymer will carry free volume
within the polymer and create a tortuous path for the permitting molecules. The degree of torture
mainly depends on the interaction. Filler's matrix, filler with volume fraction, and the shape and
orientation of the filler particles.

Rubber flow in case of filler reinforcement depends on several mechanisms. [11]

• Hydrodynamic Effect, Transfer of strain to polymer links:

Particulate fillers increase each the consistence and coefficient of elasticity of a compound
or rubber compound via a fluid mechanics impact –the nonprotractile particles cannot
deform, therefore their strain is transferred to the compound chains.

• Rubber-Filler Effect, Chemisorption of rubber on filler:

Polymer chains can attach to reinforcing filler particles, particularly C, via adsorption, or
maybe valence bonding if the filler has reactive sites. The term ‘bound rubber’ refers to
chains warranted to the particles sufficiently robust to resist dissolution in an exceedingly
solvent. the quantity of sure rubber usually correlates with the occluded rubber, as ruled
by the particle’s extent and structure

• Filler-Filler Effect, Particle network formation:

The third mechanism for modulus improvement of reinforced rubber is the development
of a network of the filler particles.

We propose to reinforce the currently used MCR block and increase its resistance to crack growth
by using fillers. We suggest the use of carbon black as it is cheap compared to other fillers.
2.2 Design Consideration: Fatigue Crack Delay via Stop Holes
One of the simplest and most accessible crack resisting strategies is drilling holes on the point of
the crack tip. The crack tip stop hole is employed to diminish stress singularity of the crack tip in
order to enhance the fatigue lifetime of structure.
Song et al. reported that by drilling a hole at the crack tip, larger stop hole diameters resulted in
longer fatigue lives
We propose to reinforce the currently used MCR block and increase its resistance to crack
growth. A hole drilled on the crack tip transforms the crack singularity to a smooth surface. This
makes the crack tip blunt
• Stop holes parallel to the leg width can prevent crack growth
• Holes also reduce the weight which is another issue with Jaipur prosthetic

References
[1] Arya, A.P. and Klenerman, L., 2008. The jaipur foot. The Journal of bone and joint
surgery. British volume, 90(11), pp.1414-1421.

[2] Sethi, P.K., Udawat, M.P., Kasliwal, S.C. and Chandra, R., 1978. Vulcanized rubber foot
for lower limb amputees. Prosthetics and orthotics international, 2(3), pp.125-136.

[3] https://www.elearnuk.co.uk/uploads/courses/168.pdf

[4,5] Arya, A.P., Lees, A., Nerula, H.C. and Klenerman, L., 1995. A biomechanical
comparison of the SACH, Seattle and Jaipur feet using ground reaction forces. Prosthetics
and Orthotics International, 19(1), pp.37-45.

[6] archive.org/stream/gov.in.is.3400.2
[7] archive.org/stream/gov.in.is.3400.3
[8] archive.org/stream/gov.in.is.3400.4
[9] archive.org/stream/gov.in.is.3400.7
[10] archive.org/stream/gov.in.is.3400.9
[11] archive.org/stream/gov.in.is.3400.10

[12] Reincke, K., Grellmann, W. and Klüppel, M., 2009. Investigation of fracture mechanical
properties of filler-reinforced styrene-butadiene elastomers. KGK. Kautschuk, Gummi,
Kunststoffe, 62(5), pp.246-251.

Special Courtesy: Bhagwan Mahavir Viklang Sahayak Samiti, Jaipur