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The effect of liner design and materials selection on prosthesis interface heat dissipation

Williams, RJ; Washington, ED; Miodownik, M; Holloway, C

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Authors

RJ Williams

M Miodownik

C Holloway



Abstract

Background and aim: Thermal discomfort often affects prosthesis wearers and could be addressed by increasing liner thermal
conductivity. This note explores a liner made from thermally conductive silicone and two additional alternative liner designs.
Technique: Thermally conductive silicone was used to create a conductive liner and a hybrid liner. Additionally, one with open elements was made. These were compared with a plain silicone liner and a no liner scenario. Scaled down liner prototypes were used due to the high-cost of the thermally conductive silicone. Temperature decay profiles were
collected by attaching thermistors to a heated liner phantom and used to evaluate scenarios.
Discussion: No scenario performed much better than the plain silicone liner. Implementation of passive solutions may be easier, but alternative liner materials are unlikely to affect dissipation enough to address thermal discomfort. Based on this work, future research efforts may be better spent developing active thermal discomfort solutions.
Clinical relevance Thermal discomfort can increase the probability of skin damage, reduce prosthesis satisfaction and,
ultimately, the quality of life. The prosthesis-wearing experience could be improved if thermal discomfort can be
addressed by technological improvements.

Citation

Williams, R., Washington, E., Miodownik, M., & Holloway, C. (2017). The effect of liner design and materials selection on prosthesis interface heat dissipation. Prosthetics and Orthotics International, 42(3), 275-279. https://doi.org/10.1177/0309364617729923

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Jun 9, 2017
Online Publication Date Sep 14, 2017
Publication Date Sep 14, 2017
Deposit Date Oct 20, 2017
Publicly Available Date Oct 20, 2017
Journal Prosthetics and Orthotics International
Print ISSN 0309-3646
Publisher SAGE Publications
Volume 42
Issue 3
Pages 275-279
DOI https://doi.org/10.1177/0309364617729923
Publisher URL http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0309364617729923
Related Public URLs http://journals.sagepub.com/home/poi
Additional Information Access Information : Version of Record © The International Society for Prosthetics and Orthotics, 2017, available via Official URL above.

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