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Abstract
For wheelchair users, long term loading of the buttock soft tissues is related to serious physiological problems. In current rehabilitation practice, pressure sore diagnosis and pressure relieving cushions design is mostly based on tissue-cushion interface pressure measurements. Very few information on the state of internal stress in the buttocks is available. The aim of this master degree project was to develop an effective computerized model to study buttock-cushion mechanical behavior and analyze wheelchair seat cushion designs.
The first objective consisted to develop a biomechanical model by the finite element method to simulate the interaction between a seat cushion and the buttocks in seating conditions. The second objective of the project consisted to validate the simulation results with experimental measurements done in similar conditions. The third objective was to use the biomechanical model to assess internal stress and mechanical interactions for various postural and anatomical characteristics and to evaluate wheelchair cushions design. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)
