Abstract
Porous Lattice Structure (PLS) scaffolds have shown potential applications in the biomedical domain. These implants’ structural designs can attain compatibility mechanobiologically, thereby avoiding challenges related to the stress shielding effect. Different unit cell structures have been explored with limited work on the fabrication and characterization of titanium-based PLS with cubic unit cell structures. Hence, in the present paper, Ti6Al4V (Ti64) cubic PLS scaffolds were analysed by finite element (FE) analysis and fabricated using selective laser melting (SLM) technique. PLS of the rectangular shape of width 10 mm and height 15 mm (ISO: 13314) with an average pore size of 600–1000 μm and structure porosity percentage of 40–70 were obtained. It has been found that the maximum ultimate compressive strength was found to be 119 MPa of PLS with a pore size of 600 μm and an overall relative density (RD) of 57%. Additionally, the structure’s failure begins from the micro-porosity formed during the fabrication process due to the improper melting along a plane inclined at 45 degree.
Highlights
The results of the investigations are presented in the order: first, results of finite element (FE) analysis are presented which helped in the selection of suitable geometries of Porous Lattice Structure (PLS) that withstands the maximum load during its application, the morphological characterization of the fabricated PLS was discussed to evaluate its replicability towards its designed models
The mechanical properties of the PLS were evaluated followed by the evaluation of fracture mechanisms of the samples that failed during compression testing
The different cubic PLS samples fabricated via the selective laser melting (SLM) technique were evaluated for dimension accuracy, compressive strength, elastic modulus, and fracture mechanisms
Summary
Mechanical properties of the implants made up of such materials ought to be equivalent to that of the adjacent natural bone. Biomaterials can be synthetic or natural and includes polymers, ceramics, and metals. Metallic biomaterials are widely used for hard tissue replacement implants owing to their excellent mechanical properties as compared to their non-metallic counterparts. Ti6Al4V (Ti64) alloy has emerged as a successful metallic biomaterial due to its characteristics including excellent mechanical strength and superior biocompatibility [4,5,6,7]. When compared with other metallic biomaterials, this alloy shows relatively low Young’s modulus, low density, high fatigue strength, and extraordinary corrosion resistance, which are the essential requirements for effective in vivo performance [8]
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