Ergonomic Crutches Design for Enhanced Mobility and Comfort

Ergonomic Crutches Design for Enhanced Mobility and Comfort

Quality criteria

























This is the link to our Finite Element Analysis
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1m7_4UBbJvPRiON3lTiz4o8CHdRIfKAzV/view?usp=sharing
Model Setup in FEA
Geometry and Meshing:

In the crutch assembly model, one can find the bottom ABS support, top ABS handle, aluminum connector, and the ABS shaft connector in complex geometries.
The model is discretized into a mesh of finite elements (solid mesh) where localized material behavior is captured by each element.
A high-quality mesh is used throughout, such as a Curvature-Based Blended Tri with the maximum element size of 26.7785 mm and a minimum of 1.33879 mm in order to precisely capture the place of stress concentration.
Material Properties:

The different material properties used in the crutch are ABS plastic and 1060 Aluminium alloy, whose density, Young's modulus, Poisson's ratio, and yield strength are defined in the simulation.
Each material has been assigned the behaviour of being linear elastic, allowing an accurate assessment of the amount of deformation seen under applied load with reasonable computational effort.
Boundary conditions and constraints:

The crutch is fixed at the base—a bottom ABS support—that simulates ground contact, where movement is constrained and the load is mainly directed downward.
A downward force is applied at the top handle, representative of the user's weight. As such, a real-world loading condition could be simulated in which a user presses down on the crutch.
Load Conditions:

A vertical load equivalent to the weight of a person acts on the handle for a simulation representing a static load case.
Other test scenarios include changes in force direction and cyclic loading to check for fatigue resistance in a wide variety of conditions.
3. Crutch Analysis: Key FEA Results
Stress Distribution-von Mises Stress:

The distribution of the von Mises stresses in the crutch assembly can indicate regions with higher levels of stress that may easily compromise the material to yield or fail. The maximum von Mises stresses from FEA were 1.361e+06 N/m2, and these are compared with the yield strength of the materials so that the design remains at a safe limit of stress.

Displacement and Deformation:

Displacement results show the amount the crutch deforms under the load applied. The maximum displacement observed was 0.01159 mm. The least value of displacement is desirable since it reflects in structural rigidity, hence reducing the chances of fatigue over time. This pattern of displacement identifies if the handle, shaft, or connectors are overbent or shifted in any way that would affect user comfort or safety. Strain Analysis: Equivalent strain results are showing the highly deformed areas that come within the elastic range, and the maximum equivalent strain is 1.309e-05. These results help check for any material deformation or plasticity under normal conditions of load, with the added value that the crutch will be able to sustain cycles of repeated loading without setting.