Design and Analysis of Polymeric Inserts for Ankle Prosthesis

Abstract

A new prosthesis design for total ankle arthroplasty (TAA), with an internal structure for its polymeric insert is proposed and analyzed on numerical simulation. Engineering parameters for prosthesis designs are proposed and discussed. Physiological load conditions for ankle joint are applied for numerical simulation on a finite element analysis (FEA), considering experimental data for modeling the polymer material behavior. Performance of total deformation, strain, safety factors and equivalent stress of structured prosthesis are compared versus a common solid model and literature findings for market-available prosthesis. Results showed that the proposed structured design can operate safely on simulated cases, having a diminished stress state in comparison with precedent TAA prosthesis. Thus, it is a good insight for future development. Previous side work that could not satisfy the project needs, but still with potential applications on biomechanics is also exposed.