Synthesis of crystalline nanocellulose and its effect on the mechanical properties of E-glass fiber/epoxy composite for prosthetic shank applications

Abstract

Prosthetic shank is one of the prominent parts of prosthetic leg that transfers load from prosthetic socket to the foot section. Nowadays, it is common to use composite materials for prosthetics and orthotics applications. This research aims at synthesis and characterization of properties of crystalline nanocellulose (CNC) powder and investigating its effect on the mechanical and physical properties of E-glass fiber - epoxy composite for prosthetic shank applications. Different properties including tensile, impact, flexural, water absorption, thermographic, density and surface morphology of a hybrid composite are investigated. The research further targets to test the suitability of developed composite material for prosthetic shank applications. Extraction of CNC powder is performed using chemical extraction technique which involves alkali treatment, delignification, bleaching and acid hydrolysis. Crystallinity of CNC particles is determined at 2θ values of 19.89°, 44.04°, 64.34° and 77.51°. Crystallite size of these powders is found to be 13 nm from XRD analysis. Thermal properties of CNCs are examined using thermographic analysis and the result reveals a three-stage decomposition of CNC powders in temperature ranges. The results also reveal that addition of CNC powder enhances the overall performance of the composite, and composite specimen with 8wt% CNC powder shows superior mechanical and physical properties. Further, selected composite is modeled for the prosthetic shank application using commercial finite element software, ANSYS 2022, and maximum equivalent von Mise’s stress of 0.82598 MPa and deformation of 0.054065 mm are obtained Based on the overall findings and analysis, it is highly recommended to develop and use hybrid E-glass fiber – CNC - epoxy composite as a substitute material for prosthetic shank applications.