15 - Life cycle analysis and wear and fatigue behavior of polymeric biomaterials

Abstract

A biomaterials is a combination of organic or inorganic material which is biocompatible with the human anatomical system. In recent years, biomaterials are commonly used in various biomedical applications. The most common biomaterials come under the category of metals and alloys, polymers, ceramics, and composites. Out of all those listed materials, polymeric biomaterial is widely used in various applications due to its biocompatibility and appreciable mechanical properties. Knowing that the wear and fatigue behavior of biomaterials are required for the proper functioning of any biosystem, the objective of this chapter is to focus on knowing the wear or fatigue behavior in terms of bending strength (flexural modulus) of bio implants made of biomaterials. Bio implants are manufactured using various three-dimensional (3D) printing techniques. One of the prominent techniques used is fused deposition modeling. The product quality in fusion deposition modeling is influenced by various process parameters such as raster orientation, raster width, air gap, temperature, layer thickness, infill pattern, etc. Fusion deposition modeling specimens were printed using two different infill patterns (rectilinear infill pattern/honeycomb infill pattern) and tested for their flexural modulus and strength. Results of the experiments indicate that parts with a rectilinear infill pattern have higher flexural stiffness. The study also concludes that, for an application which requires stronger yet flexible implants, the honeycomb infill pattern is preferred over the rectilinear infill pattern.