论文部分内容阅读
This paper presented an application of using 3D printing technique for the design and fabrication of a novel fiber Bragg grating( FBG) based sensing platform for foot planar pressure measurement. Pressure sensing unit was fabricated using 3D printing technique by layering of extruded polylactic acid(PLA) material and mounting FBG sensor at the center of each sensing unit for pressure measurement. Performance of the sensing system was validated by applying load step by step as well as cyclic load on FBG pressure sensors. A simulation study was carried out using the sensing platform to assess foot plantar pressure distribution arises from weight gaining and losing processes of pregnant woman. The monitored four different foot positions such as fore-foot, mid-foot and heel exhibited obvious differences during testing process. Foot plantar pressure of heel was 1.7 times of the pressure occurred at the first and second metatarsus( fore-foot),while there was limited pressure occurred at the mid-foot position during weight gaining process of a femail subject. The occurred pressures at the two metatarsus areas were around 90%( pressure ratio) of heel and decreased continuously as the increase of subject weight, but weight losing process had very limited influence on this pressure ratio.Center of gravity of pregnant woman was found to shift backward substantially during the weighting gaining process, leading to a significant rise of the heel pressure. Hence, protection of the heel position for femails is highly important during both pregnancy and after baby delivery.
This paper presented an application of using 3D printing technique for the design and fabrication of a novel fiber Bragg grating (FBG) based sensing platform for foot planar pressure measurement. Pressure sensing unit was fabricated using 3D printing technique by layering of extruded polylactic acid (PLA ) material and mounting FBG sensor at the center of each sensing unit for pressure measurement. Performance of the sensing system was validated by applying load step by step as well as cyclic load on FBG pressure sensors. A simulation study was carried out using the sensing platform to assess foot plantar pressure distribution arises from weight gaining and losing processes of pregnant woman. The monitored four different foot positions such as fore-foot, mid-foot and heel drawings obvious differences during testing process. Foot plantar pressure of heel was 1.7 times of the pressure occurred at the first and second metatarsus (fore-foot), while there was limited pressure occurred at the mid-foot position during weight gaining process of a femail subject. The occurrence pressures at the two metatarsus areas were around 90% (pressure ratio) of heel and decreased continuously as the increase of subject weight, but weight losing process had very limited influence on this pressure ratio.Center of gravity of pregnant woman was found to shift back substantially during the weighting gaining process, leading to a significant rise of the heel pressure. Therefore, protection of the heel position for femails is highly important during both pregnancy and after baby delivery.