This paper presents a comprehensive review of natural fiber-reinforced composites (NFRCs) for lower-limb prosthetic designs. It covers the characteristics, types, and properties of natural fiber-reinforced composites as well as their advantages and drawbacks in prosthetic designs. This review also discusses successful prosthetic designs that incorporate NFRCs and the factors that make them effective. Additionally, this study explores the use of computational biomechanical models to evaluate the effectiveness of prosthetic devices and the key factors that are considered. Overall, this document provides a valuable resource for anyone interested in using NFRCs for lower-limb prosthetic designs.

The use of composite materials in aerospace structures has led to significant weight reductions and improved performance. However, their behavior under low-energy impact remains a critical concern due to the potential initiation of barely visible damage. This study investigates the crack initiation mechanisms in composite airfoil profiles subjected to low-energy impact, simulating real-world scenarios such as hail or bird strikes. Two types of airfoil profiles were fabricated using bidirectional carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) with epoxy resin and tested under ASTM D7136 impact conditions. Tensile tests following ASTM D3039 were conducted to assess post-impact mechanical behavior. The damage patterns were analyzed using high-resolution microscopy and non-destructive inspection techniques. Results revealed that damage severity and propagation depend on impact energy levels and airfoil geometry, with SC(2)-0714 exhibiting better impact resistance than GOE777-IL. Microscopic analysis confirmed that delamination initiated at 45° fiber orientations, expanding along interlaminar regions, while airfoil curvature influenced the impact energy dissipation.

The thermal energy simulation of residential buildings involves estimating electricity consumption from both household appliances and air conditioning systems, whose use is influenced by the ambient temperatures of each municipality. However, existing mathematical simulation models face limitations in accurately reproducing electricity consumption patterns in homes across different climate types. This study proposes an enhanced CDH method, developed through a new function aimed at improving the accuracy of residential cooling demand estimation by incorporating behavioral and climatic variability. The function introduces the use of adaptive comfort temperature thresholds specific to each climate type and a time-selective activation mechanism that calculates cooling demand only during the hours when ambient temperature exceeds the adaptive threshold. These activation periods are determined analytically using a Fourier-based temperature model. A representative sample of 35 municipalities in Mexico was selected, covering different climate types and domestic electricity rates. The construction characteristics and average energy use habits of typical dwellings were defined using national housing and energy data to support the simulations. The results show that integrating adaptive thresholds into the CDH equations reduces the simulation error to below 10% when compared to actual residential electricity consumption. The proposed model is applicable across all Mexican municipalities, regardless of climate variability.

Four configuration laminates made of flax, glass, and basalt were fabricated via vacuum-assisted hand lay-up with added weight and tested under ASTM D3039 and D790. The flax–glass–flax lay-up exhibited the highest tensile strength and flexural strength. Orthotropic elastic properties were determined from remanufactured 90°-rotated specimens. A hexahedral-meshed finite element model using these inputs under a 5256 N load predicted the stress and strain within 1% and 5% of the experimental values. These findings demonstrate that flax–glass hybrids offer mechanical reliability, sustainability, and affordability for next-generation prosthetic applications.