Philip Jamie Sewell

• BEng (Hons) PGCert Phd CEng MIED MIMechE FHEA
• Head of Department at Bournemouth University

Background Involving patients and members of the public, together with researchers, in decisions about how studies are designed and conducted can create a study that is more person‐centred. The aim of this consultation process was to explore ways of designing a study which takes the person into consideration for the randomized clinical study entitl...

Background Stakeholder involvement includes not just patients and public, but also those delivering treatment for example clinicians and students. Each stakeholder brings unique experiences to the process. The aim of this stakeholder exercise was to explore readability and understanding of the trial material for the future trial to be conducted by...

This article is focused on numerical analyses of commercially available metal-oxides as potential nano-additives for paraffin in thermal storage applications. Technical and economic prospects of metal-oxides based nano-PCMs are evaluated to help formulate selection criterion for nano-additives to achieve optimum thermal performance at acceptable co...

For patients with deficient rotator cuff Reverse Shoulder Arthroplasty, in which the centre of rotation of the glenohumeral joint is repositioned, is a popular treatment. However, for optimal restoration of motion after RSA, the correct implant selection and positioning within the bones is critical for a successful surgical outcome. This paper exam...

Since the 18th century, hydraulic ram pumps have harnessed the water hammer effect to move water in a renewable and sustainable manner. This article demonstrates that, by substituting the pressurised water delivery system for an energy conversion mechanism, the operating principles behind hydraulic rams can also be adopted for the purposes of provi...

Background: The current method of prescribing composite running-specific energy-storing-and-returning feet is subjective and is based only on the amputee's static body weight/mass. Objectives: The aim was to investigate their dynamic characteristics and create a relationship between these dynamic data and the prescription of foot. Study design:...

Traditional shoulder range of movement (ROM) measurement tools suffer from inaccuracy or from long experimental setup times. Recently, it has been demonstrated that relatively low-cost wearable inertial measurement unit (IMU) sensors can overcome many of the limitations of traditional motion tracking systems. The aim of this study is to develop and...

In this paper, a novel design of a rotary hydraulic flow control valve has been presented for high flow rate fluid power systems. High flow rates in these systems account for substantial flow forces acting on the throttling elements of the valves and cause the application of mechanically sophisticated multi-staged servo valves for flow regulation....

Suitable lower-limb prosthetic sockets must provide an adequate distribution of the pressures created from standing and ambulation. A systematic search for articles reporting socket pressure changes in response to device alignment perturbation was carried out, identifying 11 studies. These were then evaluated using the American Academy of Orthotist...

Ensemble neural networks are a commonly used as a method to boost performance of artificial intelligence applications. By collating the response of multiple networks with differences in composition or training and hence a range of estimation error, an overall improvement in the appraisal of new problem data can be made. In this work, artificial neu...

A considerable body of research is currently being performed to quantify available tidal energy resources and to develop efficient devices with which to harness them. This work is naturally focussed on maximising power generation from the most promising sites, and a review of the literature suggests that the potential for smaller scale, local tidal...

Reverse shoulder arthroplasty (RSA), in which anatomic concavities of glenohumeral (GH) joint are inverted, is a popular treatment of arthritic shoulders with deficient rotator cuff. The correct positioning of the glenohumeral center of rotation and initial setting of the deltoid length (Deltoid Tension) plays an important role in the outcome of th...

It has been recognized that that the design and prescription of Energy Storing and Returning prosthetic running feet are not well understood and that further information on their performance would be beneficial to increase this understanding. Dynamic analysis of an amputee wearing a prosthetic foot is typically performed using reflective markers an...

Two energy return prosthesis are subjected to three different statically applied loading methods. This initial study proposes that statically applied loading to a sport prosthesis using several controlled methods were statistically robust enough to derive a mechanical stiffness value. However, any predicted stiffness is drawn into question when all...

This article presents the results of an investigation into the failure of bolted joints in thin composite panels. The experimental investigations and comparisons of two different bolt group configurations (single row and staggered row) subjected to uniaxial loading are presented. Finite element analysis (FEA) is utilized to find the optimum bolt an...

Background: T44 sprinting with an amputation is still in a state of relative infancy. Future scope for athletic training and prosthetic limb development may be assisted with a better understanding of information derived from T44 athletes when under race-based conditions. Objectives: To investigate the behaviour of step count and step frequency w...

In this research, it is proven that perfect synchronisation between the input impulse (human effort) and the ground reaction impulse/impact can result in a phenomenon called the dynamic elastic response to impulse synchronisation with favourable consequences to the behaviour of the energy storing and returning foot. An energy storing and returning...

Current methods of estimating the behaviour of marine composite structures under pressure due to slamming as a result of high waves are based on trial and error or oversimplification. Normally under these conditions the non-linearities of these structures are often neglected and, in order to compensate, an overestimated safety factor is employed. T...

Current methods of evaluating the performance of a runner using an energy return prosthesis often rely on a physiological methodology, making the differentiation between the contributions from the biological and the prosthetic elements of the below-knee amputee athlete difficult. In this paper a series of mass and composite foot systems were used t...

The desire of individuals with a lower-limb amputation to participate in sports, coupled with the high demands of athletics, has resulted in the development of energy-storing-and-returning feet, capable of storing energy during stance and returning it to the individual in late stance to assist in forward propulsion. However, little attention has be...

A semi-analytical approach for analysis of laminated plates with general boundary conditions under a general distribution of loads is developed. The non-linear equations are solved by the Newton-Kantorovich-Quadrature (NKQ) method which is a combination of well-known Newton-Kantorovich method and the Quadrature method. This method attempts to solve...

Despite recent controversy, it is not yet formally recognised how lower-limb prosthesis should be assessed for their performance. To assist in this process, experiments are undertaken to investigate the linearity, stiffness and assessment of feet based energy return prosthesis technology typically used for elite level high speed running. Through in...

Current methods to estimate the behaviour of composite structures are based on trial and error or oversimplification. Normally the nonlinearities in these structures are neglected and in order to cover this inadequacy in design of composite structures, an overestimate safety factor is used. These methods are often conservative and leading to the he...

Current practices to estimate the pressure loads on the hull of small high-speed craft in a seaway are based on determination of the wave loads by applying rules and standards which itself relies either on often conservative methods, leading to a craft that is heavier and slower than it could be otherwise. There are rather large uncertainties in th...

Considering the non-linearity, complexity and anisotropy of constitutive equations in composite materials, numerical methods are essential to evaluate the behaviour of this material. The finite element method (FEM) is a powerful computational technique for the solution of differential and integral equations that arise in various fields of engineeri...

Ribbed cylindrical Glass Reinforced Plastic (GRP) tanks are currently designed using simplified theory the results of which are then verified by extensive destructive testing. This approach is expensive and can only generate non-optimal design solutions. In addition, there is often a high degree of discrepancy between theoretical and experimental r...

A semi-analytical approach for analysis of laminated plates with general boundary conditions under a general distribution of loads is developed. The non-linear equations are solved by the Newton-Kantorovich-Quadrature (NKQ) method which is a combination of well-known Newton-Kantorovich method and the Quadrature method. This method attempts to solve...

Previous studies have shown that composite fibre orientations can be optimised for specific load cases such as longitudinal or in-plane loading. However, the methodologies utilised in these studies cannot be used for general analysis of such problems. In this research, an extra term is added to the optimisation penalty function in order to consider...

Unique to sport with a disability such as those performed at the Paralympics, the need to improve the performance of lower limb prostheses can conflict with the need to provide an equal opportunity to win whilst still needing to encourage and maximise participation. This paper extends previous research by attempting to propose a method suitable for...

This study investigates and reviews approaches to modelling laminated composite plates. It explores theories that have been proposed and developed and assesses their suitability and functionality. The particular focus in this study has been on normal stresses and the through-thickness distributions of transverse shear. These are important for compo...

Current methods of evaluating the performance of a runner using Energy Storing and Returning (ESR) prosthesis rely heavily on metabolic and biological factors. This makes it difficult to differentiate between the contributions made by the athlete and the prosthesis to the act of walking or running. Static tests show these feet to have non-linear st...

One of the first steps in marine structural design is to calculate the wave-induced loads and load combinations. In contrast with both the hydrostatic loads and the self-weight loads which can be evaluated with a high degree of confidence, it is more difficult to measure the in-service hydrodynamic loads generated by sea waves. Direct pressure load...

Accurate fitting of a lower-limb prosthetic socket is the most important factor affecting amputee satisfaction and rehabilitation. The technology is now available to allow real-time monitoring of in-service pressure distribution of prosthetic limbs. This paper proposes a remote interfacial pressure monitoring system necessary for the assessment of...

It has been recognised in a review of the developments of lower-limb prosthetic socket fitting processes that the future demands new tools to aid in socket fitting. This paper presents the results of research to design and clinically test an artificial intelligence approach, specifically inverse problem analysis, for the determination of the pressu...

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the role of lower-limb running prostheses and stakeholders' perceptions of fairness in relation to their use in competitive disability sport. A Delphi study was conducted over three rounds to solicit expert opinion in a developing area of knowledge. High levels of consensus were obtained. The findings sug...

The monitoring of in-service loads on many components has become a routine operation for simple and well-understood cases in engineering. However, as the complexity of the structure increases so does the difficulty in obtaining an acceptable understanding of the real loading. It has been shown that it is possible to solve these problems by interfac...

Within lower‐limb disability running, the design of the prosthesis has shifted from being a tool for restoring function to one of enabling athletes to perform to near non‐disabled standards. This paper examines the background to this development. The authors argue that the impact of technology on the design of prostheses is likely to affect athlete...

Previous studies have shown that composite fibre orientation angles can be optimised for specific load cases such as longitudinal or in-plane loading. However, the methodologies utilised in these studies cannot be used for general analysis of such problems. This research presents a methodology whereby the thickness of laminated composite plates is...

A good-fitting prosthetic socket requires the pressure between the stump and socket to be distributed to ensure the load is carried by pressure tolerant regions of the limb. Transducers and Finite Element Analysis have been utilised to measure and monitor these pressures. However, it has been recognised that both techniques have limitations, making...

An investigation has been carried out by the authors to assess two novel techniques in the field of prosthetics (photoelasticity and electrical resistance strain gauges) for use as alternative tools for the qualitative and quantitative monitoring of the amputee gait cycle together with the distribution of pressures at the residual limb/socket inter...

A method that combines a modified back propagation Artificial Neural Network (ANN) and Boundary Element Analysis (BEA) was introduced and discussed in the author's previous papers. This paper discusses the development of an automated inverse boundary element problem engine. This inverse problem engine can be applied to both potential and elastostat...

  In this study, an artificial neural network (ANN) was deployed as a tool to determine the internal loads between the residual limb and prosthetic socket for below-knee amputees. This was achieved by using simulated load data to validate the ANN and captured clinical load data to predict the internal loads at the residual limb–socket interface. Lo...

It is recognized that the assessment of prosthetic socket fit is based largely on the subjective clinical judgement of the prosthetist. This study assesses a novel technique, photoelasticity, for use as a tool for the qualitative and quantitative assessment of socket fit. Photoelasticity is a visual technique that produces contours of principal str...

So far the study of interfacial pressures between residual limb and the prosthetic socket has not led to the design of any useful tool that can assist the prosthetist to fit a prosthesis. Researchers at the UWE Bristol have found a novel methodology that can revolutionise this process. It is based on the combined application of a hybrid numerical m...

A revolution in transtibial prosthetic design began at the end of World War II with the development of new materials and a dramatic improvement in the understanding of biomechanics. Early research was based mainly on the improvement of existing prosthetic design practice. Today, research has been focused on providing a better understanding of stum...

A number of design methodologists have developed potentially useful models of design, but few of these models have addressed the full complexity of the design of a real engineering artefact. A joint research programme undertaken at Coventry University and the University of the West of England, Bristol, has identified case-based reasoning as a usefu...