The mechanical behavior of a dynamically stressed customized skull implant made from different types of biomaterials by Additive Manufacturing technologies

Abstract

"The main objective of the research consists in the determination of the mechanical behavior of a customized implant that is dynamically stressed, especially the way the implant takes external loadings, as well as its influence on the adjacent areas that are destroyed, in close connection with the shape of the implant (solid or perforated) and the type of biomaterial the implant is made from (metallic or non-metallic). The assessment of such a hypothetic situation has been considered in order to determine which material is adequate to be used for the manufacturing of the implant and to determine also if some shape modifications are required to be realized in such a way that the impact shock will be much better resisted and the effect of the impact will be diminished especially in the vital areas, where the implant is in contact with. Such a complex analysis can be realized since the virtual generation of the medical implant, by conceiving different virtual models within the design stage and by performing complex analysis by the using finite element method as well. Our studies showed that the stress state of the assembly components is strongly influenced by the type of material from which the implant is manufactured, The decrease of the implant stiffness by realizing some perforations leads to an increase of the stress state of the implant simultaneous with a decrease of the stress level that is transmitted to the surrounding structures, the implants made from PMMA material have isolating properties superior as compared to the ones of the metallic material. "