Análise experimental de deformações em órteses de membro superior fabricadas por manufatura aditiva

Abstract

Rehabilitation of people with disabilities may involve resources such as Assistive Technology (TA). Among the assistive technology devices, orthotics are externally applied devices that modify the structural and functional characteristics of the neuromuscular and skeletal systems used in the rehabilitation of individuals with physical disabilities. The application of additive manufacturing (AM) to orthosis opens up possibilities for other functional and structural modifications that could not be implemented by the conventional process. However, few studies have been found in the literature on the definition of design and manufacturing parameters of upper limb orthoses by the AM process and its mechanical properties. This work proposes an experimental study on the mechanical characteristics of orthotics instrumented with extensometers, comparing the deformations between conventional orthoses and those made in PLA (polylactic acid) by AM. For this, bending tests were performed on specimens that helped define strategies and manufacturing parameters by AM to generate three printed orthoses with different thicknesses. Two stages of orthotic tests were performed: (i) extensometry tests to measure deformations and mechanical measurements of displacements caused by the application of loads and (ii) extensometry tests to measure deformations provoked by the grip strength test using a Jamar® dynamometer. From these tests, a project recommendation was defined to adequately dimension the thickness of the orthoses manufactured by AM, contributing to the dissemination of this technology.