Morphological and mechanical characterisation of three-dimensional gyroid structures fabricated by electron beam melting for the use as a porous biomaterial.

Additive manufactured porous biomaterials based on triply periodic minimal surfaces (TPMS) are a highly discussed topic in the literature. With their unique properties in terms of open porosity, large surface area and surface curvature, they are considered to have bone mimicking properties and remarkable osteogenic potential. In this study, scaffolds of gyroid unit cells of different sizes consisting of a Ti6Al4V alloy were manufactured additively by electron beam melting (EBM). The scaffolds were analysed by micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) to determine their morphological characteristics and, subsequently, subjected to mechanical tests to investigate their quasi-static compressive properties and fatigue resistance. All scaffolds showed an average open porosity of 71-81%, with an average pore size of 0.64-1.41 mm, depending on the investigated design. The design with the smallest unit cell shows the highest quasi-elastic gradient (QEG) as well as the highest compressive offset stress and compression strength. Furthermore, the fatigue resistance of all unit cell size (UCS) variations showed promising results. In detail, the smallest unit cells achieved fatigue strength at 10

Informations de copyright

Copyright © 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.