Simulating the mechanical properties of three-dimensional printed artificial bone scaffolds

Abstract

The rapid distribution of additive manufacturing processes simplifies the production of individual parts vastly. Especially in the area of tissue engineering countless applications are possible. The use as artificial bone scaffolds to speed-up the regeneration of bone injuries is particularly interesting. Such scaffolds are periodic structures made from unit cells. To be able to adapt the structure for the intended application, a reliable method to simulate the mechanical properties of the final, three-dimensionally printed part is needed. By using symmetric and periodic boundary conditions as well as an adjusted material model, different forms of structures can be reliably simulated in a short amount of time. Depending on the load case, there are different ways shown to determine all necessary material parameters. The impact of a damaged structure on the performance is shown as well. The acquired results facilitate future simulations and the design of structures for real-world usage.