Evaluation of compression garment design factor and prediction of garment pressure on wearer

Abstract

Compression garments used in compression therapy are now designed by rule of thumbs. The designer selects a suitable fabric and then applies a certain reduction factor to fabricate the garment. There is no guarantee that the required pressure will be produced. The purpose of this study is to develop a scientific and systematic method in designing the compression garment to achieve the required pressure. The effects of prolonged wear, repeated dress and undress, and multiple laundering on the garment pressure are studied. The anisotropic behavior of the fabrics is investigated and a double-layer construction approach is proposed to expand the design space. By varying the type, the bias angle and the reduction factor of each layer of fabrics, the double-layer construction can help the designer to achieve the required pressure. A formula is also derived for its prediction. To predict the garment pressure on an irregular body contour, finite element model is proposed. The nonlinear human tissue property is measured and the deformation before and after wearing the compression garment was specified as boundary condition. The model was verified by two cases, one using a silicone mannequin arm and the other using a genuine human arm. The simulation results at the landmarks of the models are in good agreement with the measured results. In conclusion, the garment pressure can be successfully predicted by analytical formulae using fabric properties and simulation of a biomechanical model using finite element method. The compression garment can be methodically designed to achieve the desired pressure.