Compact and Portable Digitally Controlled Device for Testing Footwear Materials: Technical Note
By Foto, James G.; Journal of Rehabilitation Research and Development, Vol. 45, No. 6, pp. 893-900Publication Date: 2008
Article describes the Cyclical Compression Tester (CCT), a device simulating in-shoe forefoot conditions for the testing of orthotic materials used in therapeutic footwear for patients with diabetes-related peripheral neuropathy. The CCT is designed to sit on a desktop interfaced with a computer with Windows XP via an electronic control system composed of a strain gauge input module, a data acquisition module, a programmable logic controller, and a servo motor controller. The device was tested using samples of 4 single-density materials commonly used in the fabrication of accommodative orthoses. Each material was placed in the CCT and cycled through 50,000 cycles during a period of 5 days, with 2 cycles of stress-strain and dynamic compression fatigue collected every 100 cycles. Before and after each test, a caliper thickness gauge was used to measure material thickness. Test results showed that the real-time CCT device and custom user interface in combination make an evaluation tool useful for testing how the pressure distribution of in-shoe materials changes over time in therapeutic footwear for those with peripheral neuropathy at risk for foot injury.
Published by:
VA Rehabilitation Research & Development Service (Web Site: http://www.rehab.research.va.gov )
Link to text: http://www.rehab.research.va.gov/jour/08/45/6/foto.html
This publication is included in the library of the National Rehabilitation Information Center (NARIC), accession number J55449
