Table of Contents

Abstract
Acknowledgements
Table of Contents
List of Tables
List of Figures
List of Abbreviations
List of Symbols
1. Introduction
1.1. Ankle foot orthosis
1.1.1. Passive ankle foot orthosis
1.1.2. Active ankle foot orthosis
1.2. Problem statement
1.3. Objective
1.4. Approach
1.5. Contributions
1.6. Outline
1.7. Publications
2. Shape memory alloys
2.1. SMA phase diagram and transformation
2.2. Shape memory effect
2.3. Superelasticity
2.4. Stiffness variation property
3. Gait analysis
3.1. Gait cycle and its phases
3.2. Gait parameters and analysis techniques
3.3. Ankle stiffness behavior
3.4. Ankle range of motion
3.5. Multi-axial loading of ankle-foot complex during the gait
4. Design of a passive AFO with a one-sided SMA hinge
4.1. Concept development
4.2. SMA hinge desing
4.3. Sagittal plane simulation
4.4. Multi-axial loading simulation
4.5. Design optimization
4.6. Mesh study
5. Investigations of active AFO concepts based on an adaptive SMA element
5.1. Adjustable compliance concept
5.2. Actuation mechanism
5.3. Mechanical adjustment design
5.4. Structural adjustment design
5.5. Modeling and simulation
6. Results and discussion
6.1. Finite element analysis for the passive one-sided hinge
6.2. Stiffness behavior evaluation for active SMA element
7. Conclusions and future works
6.1. Conclusions
6.2. Future works
References