Fabric covered polymeric prosthetic liner
View Patent ↗A prosthetic cushion liner may include a fabric covering having an open end for introduction of a residual limb and a closed end opposite the open end. The prosthetic cushion liner may include a continuous layer of a gel composition residing on an interior surface of the fabric covering. The gel composition may include a plasticizing oil; one or more of a SEBS thermoplastic elastomer, a SEPS thermoplastic elastomer, a SEEPS thermoplastic elastomer; and a hydrogenated block copolymer.
1. A prosthetic cushion liner, comprising:
a fabric covering having an open end for introduction of a residual limb and a closed end opposite the open end; and
a continuous layer of a gel composition residing on an interior surface of the fabric covering, the gel composition comprising:
a plasticizing oil;
a hardening agent;
one or more of:
a thermoplastic elastomer represented by Formula II
wherein C is a Carbon and m and n represent a number of repeats,
a thermoplastic elastomer represented by Formula III
wherein C is Carbon and m represents a number of repeats, and
a thermoplastic elastomer represented by Formula IV
wherein C is a Carbon and m, n, and o represent a number of repeats; and
a hydrogenated block copolymer derived from a living polymer represented by Formula (I):
B 1 -A-B 2 —X (I)
wherein:
A is a polymer block comprising a structural unit derived from a vinyl aromatic compound;
B 1 and B 2 are each a polymer block comprising a structural unit derived from a conjugated diene compound; and
X is a linking group derived from reaction of an active terminal end of the having polymer with a coupling agent.
2. The prosthetic cushion liner of claim 1 , the vinyl aromatic compound comprising styrene.
3. The prosthetic cushion liner of claim 1 , the conjugated diene compound comprising one or more of: isoprene and 1,3-butadiene.
4. The prosthetic cushion liner of claim 1 , the coupling agent comprising one or more of: divinyl benzene, a polyvalent epoxy compound, a halogenated silane compound, a halogenated tin compound, an ester compound, a carbonate ester compound, and an alkoxysilane compound.
5. The prosthetic cushion liner of claim 1 , the gel composition characterized by hydrogenation of at least 80% of alkene bonds corresponding to the conjugated diene compound from which B 1 and B 2 are derived.
6. The prosthetic cushion liner of claim 1 , the plasticizing oil comprising mineral oil.
7. The prosthetic cushion liner of claim 1 , the plasticizing oil being present in the gel composition in an amount between about 75 weight percent and about 85 weight percent.
8. The prosthetic cushion liner of claim 1 , the hardening agent comprising one or more of: polyethylene, styrene oligomers, and polypropylene.
9. The prosthetic cushion liner of claim 1 , the hardening agent comprising polyethylene in an amount between about 0.1 weight percent and about 1.5 weight percent.
10. The prosthetic cushion liner of claim 1 , the hydrogenated block copolymer being characterized by a styrene content of about 37 to about 47 weight percent.
11. The prosthetic cushion liner of claim 1 , the hydrogenated block copolymer being characterized by a specific gravity of about 0.90 to about 0.95.
12. The prosthetic cushion liner of claim 1 , the hydrogenated block copolymer being present in the gel composition in an amount between about 3 weight percent and about 25 weight percent.
13. The prosthetic cushion liner of claim 1 , the gel composition comprising the thermoplastic elastomer represented by Formula IV.
14. The prosthetic cushion liner of claim 13 , the thermoplastic elastomer being characterized by a styrene content of between about 27 weight percent and about 35 weight percent.
15. The prosthetic cushion liner of claim 13 , the thermoplastic elastomer being characterized by a specific gravity of about 0.90 to about 0.95.
16. The prosthetic cushion liner of claim 13 , the thermoplastic elastomer being present in the gel composition in an amount between about 3 weight percent and about 20 weight percent.
17. The prosthetic cushion liner of claim 13 , the hydrogenated block copolymer and the thermoplastic elastomer being present in the gel composition in a ratio of about one of: 11:1, 6:1, 5:1, 1:1, 1:2, 1:4, and 1:7.
18. The prosthetic cushion liner of claim 1 , the gel composition comprising the thermoplastic elastomer represented by Formula II.
19. The prosthetic cushion liner of claim 18 , the thermoplastic elastomer being characterized by a styrene content between about 27 weight percent and about 65 weight percent.
20. The prosthetic cushion liner of claim 18 , the thermoplastic elastomer being characterized by a specific gravity between about 0.90 to about 0.98.
21. The prosthetic cushion liner of claim 18 , the hydrogenated block copolymer and the thermoplastic elastomer being present in the gel composition in a ratio of about one of: 11:1, 6:1, 5:1, 3:1, 2:1, 1:1, 1:2, 1:4, and 1:7.
22. The prosthetic cushion liner of claim 1 , the gel composition being characterized by a Shore 00 hardness of between about 10 and about 35.
23. The prosthetic cushion liner of claim 1 , further comprising a docking element attached to the fabric covering at the closed end for coupling the prosthetic cushion locking liner to a socket portion of a prosthetic limb.