Session: CIE-25-01 - Graduate Student Poster Symposium

Paper Number: 97844

97844 - Heterogeneous Porous Biomedical Scaffold Design With Functional Representation-Based Microstructures 

For a long time, bone implants have been used to restore bone function in patients who have lost their natural bone tissue due to accidents or diseases. Implants are often used to replace native bone tissues and blend in with the surrounding environment to mimic the functions and overall structure of natural bone. In recent times, bone implants have significantly advanced in terms of design and reliability. Although modern implants are constructed of a variety of materials depending on their intended use and biocompatibility, the majority are still made of metal and metal alloys, with titanium and its alloys being particularly popular. The use of solid metallic implants in place of natural bone has resulted in problems that include stress shielding, and poor bone growth and integration (osseointegration). These problems result in complications such as discomfort to patients in performing day-to-day activities, implant cracking, loosening, and eventual implant failure before its intended lifespan. One of the methods to deal with the issue of stress shielding is to make the implant porous while keeping the functionally needed strength. Over the past few years, metamaterials, also known as microstructures, have shown to exhibit exceptional physical properties which include low weight, better strength, and superior energy absorption capability. Furthermore, advances in additive manufacturing have made it possible to create microstructures with complex geometries. This research work proposes a new design paradigm for implant structure design by internally integrating function representation-based microstructures such as Triply Periodic Minimal Surfaces (TPMS), Fourier series-based functions, and Gaussian random field function. The approach uses the signed distance field to generate the internal periodic microstructure within the implant model. A Boolean operation merges the external surface and the generated internal microstructure. The implants designed using this approach have internal porosity with a thin solid external surface. The proposed design paradigm reduces the overall weight of the implant, at the same time providing the necessary strength to support day-to-day activities. The internal porosity will also reduce overall stiffness, thus minimizing the stress-shielding effect compared to a typical metal implant. To validate the new design, an analytical study of the mechanical properties of the designed bone implant using the Finite Element Method (FEM) method will be undertaken, and a comparison study will be performed between the natural bone, conventional bone implant, and modified bone implant. The hypothesis is that the proposed method will be able to achieve superior mechanical performance than previous methods. 

Presenting Author: Ashutosh Mishra University of Illinois at Chicago

Presenting Author Biography: Currently, a graduate student at University of Illinois Chicago, pursuing MS in Mechanical Engineering, I was born and raised in India. I completed my undergraduate with Mechanical as my major from BMS Institute of Technology and Management (BMSIT) in Bengaluru, India. During my under-graduation, as an active member of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) collegiate club at BMSIT, I got into several hands-on, design and development projects making a range of vehicle that include Go-kart, All Terrain Vehicle (ATV) and a series hybrid vehicle called REEV (Range Extended Electric Vehicle). My research interests include Data Driven Design, Generative Design, Design Optimization, Additive Manufacturing, and Advanced Manufacturing using Machine Learning.

Authors:

Ashutosh Mishra University of Illinois at Chicago