Finite Element Analysis of Titanium Foam in Mechanical Response for Dental Application

Abstract

Metals with certain porosity are a new class of materials with extremely low density and a unique combination of excellent mechanical, thermal, electrical, and biocompatible properties. Absorption of impact and shock energy, dust and fluid filtration, construction materials, and most importantly, biocompatible implants are all potential applications for metallic foams. An orthopaedic implant made of metallic foam can provide an open-cell structure that allows for the ingrowth of new bone tissue and the transport of body fluids. Due to its strong biocompatibility and stable fixation between the implant and human bone, titanium foam has recently received much attention as an implant material. Finite element modelling is a suitable method to obtain an efficiently designed implant. Accurate finite element analyses depend on the precision before implementation as well as the functionality of the material properties employed. Since the mechanical performances of titanium foam and solid titanium are different, a constitutive model for porous metal is required. The model of Deshpande and Fleck in the finite element analysis software ABAQUS is used to describe the compressive and flexural deformation properties of titanium foam with 63.5% porosity. The finite element simulation results were compared with the practical mechanical properties obtained by compression testing of the foam. Finally, the material modelling was used to investigate the stress distributions on the dental implant system.