Computational Fluids Dynamics Analysis of the Thermal Conditions in a Lower Limb Prosthesis Socket

The challenge of achieving optimal thermal comfort for individuals using prostheses persists, notwithstanding significant progress in prosthetic technology. Consequently, there is a critical need to investigate the thermal conditions within the prosthetic socket. Understanding the thermal environment inside the prosthetic socket has been investigated using both numerical and experimental methods. This knowledge can aid in the resolution of design and thermal issues associated with lower limb prostheses. In this study, the temperature distribution on a transtibial residual limb enclosed in the prosthetic socket was estimated via a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) technique employing the ANSYS Fluent software; this software has the capability to calculate heat transfer through conduction, convection, and fluid mass transport, thereby making it suitable for simulating the heat transfer processes in the human body. The findings of the research indicated that the temperature of the skin adjacent to the bone was lower than that above the muscular region. Results showed that at basal conditions, the region of higher metabolism, which tallies with the muscular area, had a maximum temperature of 33.50C compared to the lower metabolism region with a temperature of 30.20C. This supports the position that when comparing the anterior region to the posterior region, the former is usually cooler than the latter. The walking condition, which is a light activity or exercise showed that the temperature change when compared to the basal condition was small with the most significant difference being less than 20C.