The suitability of oxytenanthera abyssinica for development of prostheses in de

International Journal of Advanced Research in Engineering and Technology (IJARET), ISSN
0976 – 6480(Print), ISSN 0976 – 6499(Online) Volume 4, Issue 5, July – August (2013), © IAEME
87
THE SUITABILITY OF OXYTENANTHERA ABYSSINICA FOR
DEVELOPMENT OF PROSTHESES IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
Faisal Wahib Adam1
, Eric Osei Essandoh2
, Peter Oppong Tawiah1
1
Mechanical Engineering Department
2
The Energy Center
Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, Ghana
ABSTRACT
This work established the suitability of Oxytenanthera abyssinica (OTAB) for the design of
below knee prosthesis pylons. This paper performed three types of test (bending, compressive and
torsion) to establish the mechanical properties of OTAB. Untreated samples of OTAB were kept in
an open space for a month and sliced for the bending and torsion tests. However cylindrical culms
were used for the compressive test. The young modulus of elasticity established by this work is in the
range of 2.68 GPa to 9.65 GPa. The yield strength obtained ranges from 42 to 45 MPa.The torsional
strength of the test specimen was also found to range from 333 MPa to 380 MPa.OTAB, a relatively
cheap bamboo mostly grown in developing countries,is found to possess all the mechanical
properties required for prosthetic materials and even proves to be better than some of the
conventional prosthetic pylon materials.
Keywords: Amputees, Oxytenanthera Abyssinica, Prosthesis, Pylons, Suitability
BACKGROUND
Amputees form a significant fraction of the population of developing countries and the need
to rehabilitate them should be the concern of every citizen of developing countries. Apart from the
shock, trauma and the agony amputees go through at the time of injury and subsequent amputation,
the economic cost of their rehabilitation is so high that most of these patients cannot afford.
Injury and disease respectively occur when precautions are not observed or taken and when health
conditions are disturbed either naturally or artificially.
Though injury or disease is not a respecter of persons, amputation statistics in most countries
indicates that more males are likely to be amputated than females. The most frequent level of
amputation is the below the knee amputation (transtibial), contributing about 47% of all amputations
done across the world, followed in frequency by above the knee amputation 31% of amputations,
amputations on other parts of the body constitute 22% [3].
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ADVANCED RESEARCH IN
ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY (IJARET)
ISSN 0976 - 6480 (Print)
ISSN 0976 - 6499 (Online)
Volume 4, Issue 5, July – August 2013, pp. 87-97
© IAEME: www.iaeme.com/ijaret.asp
Journal Impact Factor (2013): 5.8376 (Calculated by GISI)
www.jifactor.com
IJARET
© I A E M E

88
Lower limb Prosthesis is an artificial device that replaces the limb. Prosthesis is used to
provide an amputee with the opportunity to perform functional tasks, such as ambulation
(walking),this main assistive device used to aid amputees during ambulation is relatively expensive
in developing countries, considering the low income levels of households in these countries. They
are also not readily available, so amputees have to wait in most cases for the prostheses to be
imported.
The components of a below knee limb prosthesis, mechanical support system, include a
prosthetic footand ankle, the extension (pylon or shin which replaces the length of the lost limb), soft
belt and a socket. The socket is the interface between the limb and the mechanical support system as
shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1: The main components of a below knee prosthesis (artificial limb)[14]
In addition to all the components in a below knee prosthesis, conventional above knee
prosthetic legs use a pneumatic or hydraulic return mechanism shown in Figure 2, to mimic the
natural pendulum action of the knee [6].
Most of the materials used for the production of prostheses in developing countries are
imported and thus tend to increase the production cost of prostheses in developing countries. It is
against this backdrop that this project intends to investigate into the suitability of Oxytenanthera
abyssinica (OTAB) for the design and fabrication of prostheses for both below and above the knee
pylons (shin).
Figure 2: The main components of an above knee prosthesis (artificial limb)[14]

89
The success of this investigation will bring a considerable savings in the production cost of
prostheses in developing countries.As a result most amputees and their families will be offered the
opportunity to afford relatively cheaper prostheses than before the introduction of the OTAB
prostheses. Amputees will therefore become happy and will be enthusiastic to interact or mingle with
other people in the community, does fostering greater unity and cohesion between amputees and
non-amputees.
The commonality of the Oxytenanthera abyssinica species of the bamboo family across
developing countries makes it a good choice for the investigation into the suitability of OTAB for the
design and fabrication of prostheses in developing countries. Other common species of bamboo
found in developing countries are bambusa vittata and bambussa vulgaris.The establishment of the
commonality of Oxytenanthera abyssinica in African countries such as Ghana, Cote D‘Ivoire,
Cameroun, Ethiopia, South Africa, and China, Malaysia, India in Asia attest to the fact that,
Oxytenanthera abyssinica is really a common bamboo species in developing countries [15,16,17].
Oxytenanthera abyssinica grows naturally in warm climate with an average temperature of 35
o
C and mean annual rainfall between 900 mm and 1400 mm[1]. OTAB grows and multiplies very
fast in such climatic conditions thus making their yield per unit area very high.Furthermore, this
advantage of OTAB coupled with its suitability should encorage the use of OTAB for the production
of prostheses.
Figure 3: Offshoots of Oxytenanthera abyssinica
JUSTIFICATION
Prosthesis, an ambulation assistive device for amputees is highly recommended for accident
victims who lose their limbs. In modern health care, amputation is remedied with the help of
Prosthesis. Amputation occurs through accidents (non-fatal; occupational or non-occupational), civil
wars, congenital deformities, diseases such as diabetes, cancer, gangrene and limb infections.

90
Physical injury is the main cause of amputation in developing countries, the basis for this assertion is
not far-fetched since accidents, a common cause of physical injury, occurs unintentionally and
unannounced. Road accident for example is a common incidence in developing countries. Rampant
incidence of non-fatal accident and civil wars in developing countries as well as lack of better health
care have led to a significant upshot of the number of cases of lower limb amputations[2].
Statistics indicates that injuries in its entirety rank fifth among the top twentyburdens of diseases in
World population as shown in Table 1. The breakdown of the incidence of the injuries with respect
to total injuries is as follows: transport (29.27%), unintentional (43.26%), self-harm or intentional
(22.32%), forces of nature, war and legal intervention (5.15%) [3].
The cost, availability and suitability of the material for the design and fabrication of prostheses are
the major barriers to the development of inexpensive prostheses in most developing countries. It is
therefore imperative to ascertain the suitability of common bamboo species. This paper investigates
into the suitability of OTAB for the design and fabrication of lower limb prostheses in developing
countries, bydetermining the mechanical properties of OTAB and comparing these mechanical
properties viz a viz the properties ofconventional prosthetic pylonmaterials.
METHODOLOGY
Literature on various types of bamboo was sought and reviewed after which visit were made
to some bamboo growing sites on KNUST campus, Besease, a suburb of Ejisu Municipality, in the
Ashanti region of Ghana, and Sokoban, a wood industrial village in Kumasi also in the Ashanti
region. Oxytenanthera abyssinica, awoody plant in developing countries was selected and studied in
this work. Figure 3 shows a couple of growing stems of Oxytenanthera abyssinica.
Table 1: Top twenty global burden of diseases and injuries[3].
Pieces of bamboo with a diameter range of 35mm-80mm and length range of 200mm-
350mm were prepared in several forms as shown in Figure 4 and used for compressive test, three
point bend test and torsional test. An Avery Universal tensile testing Machine was used to carry out a
standard compressive test on a nodeless(culm), single middle node and two-ended node bambooas
shown in Figure 4.

91
Figure 4: Pieces of bamboo used for the test
A cross section of the culm as shown in Figure 4 was also used to undertake a three-point
bend test. Finally, a torsional test was conducted using a cross section of the culm as used for the
three-point bend test, with the help of SM1 Mk II, Torsion Testing Machine, whose setup is as
shown in Figure 5.
Figure 5: Set up and torsional loading of bamboo culm
RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS
The three point bending test yielded the young modulus E and the proof load P. The test
obtained a compressive young modulus of elasticity for the culm of oxytenanthera used for the test in
the range of 2.68GPa to 9.65 GPa.This property is depictedby the graphs shown in Figures 7-8. The
ultimate compressive strength obtained from these graphs ranges from 42 to 45 MPa. From Figures9-

92
10, a 0.5% proof load obtained for the test specimen ranges from 1000 N to 1250 N and the setup for
the bending test is as shown in Figure 6. The torsional strength of the test specimen was also found to
range from 333MPa to 380 MPa and the maximum shear stress ranges from 70-80MPa(Figures 11-
12). The poisson ratio was found to lie between 0.23-0.34.
Figure 6: Bending test setup and a failed bamboo strip
Figure 7: Compressive stress-strain graph for sample B2
0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
Strain( mm/mm)
Stress(MPa)
COMPRESSIVESTRESS-STRAINGRAPHFORSAMPLEB2

93
Figure 8: Compressive stress-strain graph for sample B11
Figure 9: Force deflection graph for sample B1
0 0.002 0.004 0.006 0.008 0.01 0.012 0.014 0.016 0.018
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
Strain( mm/mm)
Stress(MPa)
STRESS-STRAINGRAPHFORSAMPLEB11
0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
900
1000
Deflection( mm)
Force(N)
BENDINGLOADAGAINSTDEFLECTIONFORSAMPLEB1

94
Figure 10: Force deflection graph for sample B2
Figure 11: Torque – angle of Twist graph for sample B2
0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700
0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
1400
Deflection( mm)
Force(N)
BENDINGLOADAGAINSTDEFLECTIONFORSAMPLEB2
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
x 10
4
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Angleof Twist ( rad)
Torque(Nm)
TORQUEAGAINSTANGLEOFTWISTFORSAMPLEA4

95
Figure 12: Torque – angle of Twist graph for sample B2
Oxytenanthera as a bamboo species through the test was established to be a good
prostheticpylon material since it has properties superior to most conventional prosthetic pylon
materials.Figure 7 shows that the compressive load was highly concentrated at the top and bottom of
the specimen under loading and propagated slowly towards the mid-portion. The torsional loading of
the test specimen took it through series of longitudinal waves till it failed with notches or cuts across
the wavy sections as shown in Figure6.
Figure 13: Setup for compressive test and specimen after loading
0 1 2 3 4 5 6
x 10
4
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
Angleof Twist ( rad)
Torque(Nm)
TORQUEAGAINSTANGLEOFTWISTFORSAMPLEB4

96
Table 1: Comparison of the properties of the bamboo test specimen and some conventional
pylon materials[6,11]
Type of Material Yield
Strength(MPa), Sy
Modulus of
Elasticity(MPa), E
Poisson
ratio, ν
Modulus of
rigidity(MPa),
G
Density(kg/m3
)
Bamboo(OTAB)* 42-45 2 680-9 650 0.23-0.34 333-380 906.94
Aluminium Alloy 160 70-95 0.33 26-30 2 520-2720
Polypropylene
Co-Polymer
14-60 0.4-1.8 0.1-0.3 - 878-1630
Polypropylene
Thermoformable
grade (PP)
28-38.6 0.008-0.011 0.1-0.3 - 900-905
Polyethylene (PE) 18-32 0.24-1.34 0.29 - 922-1060
Vinyl Esther 30-827 4-28 - - 1030-1949
E-Glass Fibre - 72.3 0.2 - 2541-2599
Titanium Alloy 170-795 103-120 0.32 39000-44000 4510
*Results obtained by this work
From Table 1, it can be deduced that OTAB is less dense than most of the conventional
prosthetic materials used in the design of exo-skeletal prostheses. Also, comparingthe properties of
the conventional prosthetic pylon materials to that of OTAB, it is realized OTAB is suitable for the
design and fabrication of lower limb prostheses. OTAB is relatively cheaper than all the other
materials captured in Table 1. Currently, typical costs of 0.04 m to 0.05 m outside diameter bamboo
in Ghana and Costa Ricaare 0.3 Ghana Cedis and 0.87 to 1.34 US$ per metre respectively[18].
CONCLUSIONS
This work tested OTAB bamboo samples of length between 190-300 mm, with external and
internal diameters of 42 and 28 mm respectively. The bamboo culm was assumed to be cylindrical,
homogeneous and isotropic and had a mass of 196g. This paper has established the fact that OTAB is
a very suitable prostheticpylon material, based on its compressive strength, light weight, torsional
and bending properties. According to ISO 14243the torque required for tibial rotation of prosthetic
materials is between 1 and 6 Nm while this test obtained 4-6.5 Nm.The commercialization of the
production of lower limb prostheses using OTAB should be encouraged since as indicated above it
meets the material requirements for the design and fabrication of prostheses. It is available, cheaper
and easy to process.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Considering the work done so far, it is recommended that a fatigue test should be carried out
on OTAB to establish and ascertain the life span and endurance of this bamboo species. Also, the
construction of prostheses using OTAB (whose age is determined) should be executed laying more
emphasis on efficient ways of joining this bamboo shin to both the socket and the foot.
REFERENCES
[1] SeyoumKelemwork, 2008, Anatomical Characteristics of Ethiopian Lowland bamboo
(Oxytenantheraabyssinica).International Center for Bamboo & Rattan, China.
[2] Alison J. Yamaguchi, Donald E, Christopher J, Boninger, David, Boninger, Ronald
M.Development of an Inexpensive Upper-Extremity Prosthesis for Use in Developing
Countries

97
[3] Christopher J L Murray, 2012, Disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) for 291 diseases and
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0976-6480, ISSN Online: 0976-6499,

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