Modeling of human foot for finite element analysis

• Main Author: Narayanan Sathyaraj
• Other Authors: Teo Ee Chon
• Format: Theses and Dissertations
• Language: English
• Published: 2009
• Subjects: DRNTU::Engineering::Bioengineering
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/18808
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Anatomically, the foot is a complicated structure with many joints and movements. It is understood that the foot is a highly stressed part in our body, this liable to many disorders. This calls for an intricate model of the foot that can be used to analyse and predict the behavior of its various skeleton structures under a load. The aim of this project is to develop a model of the foot based on computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data. The software programs used to converting CT data to a Finite Element Model were ScanIP (image processing software), Surfacer and ANSYS. In the process, the 2D medical images (CT images) were transformed into cross-section, then into surfaces, then areas were created using the surfaces and finally the construction of volumes were done. The complicated anatomy of the foot and the exhaustive smoothness in the skeleton has laid constraints and difficulties in developing the model. Despite these constraints, the bony skeleton was developed. The methods and the attempts that were done to develop the model are discussed in detail in the report.