Structural analysis of an endoprosthesis designed with graded density lattice structures

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Engineering
• Orthopedic Surgery
• Mechanical Engineering

Background:

• Total hip replacement failure often results from aseptic loosening, bone destruction, and periprosthetic fractures, linked to stiffness mismatch between titanium implants and bone.
• Titanium alloys, while biocompatible, are stiffer than the femur, leading to stress shielding and implant instability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the potential of graded density lattice structures for femoral implants to mimic native bone mechanical properties.
• To design and simulate a femoral implant using additive manufacturing with tailored mechanical characteristics.

Main Methods:

• Utilized additive manufacturing to create implants with graded density lattice structures.
• Employed Ansys Mechanical software for numerical simulations to analyze structural behavior.
• Evaluated the combined performance of the endoprosthesis-femur under various loading conditions.

Main Results:

• Designed and simulated a femoral implant with graded density lattice structures exhibiting femur-like mechanical properties.
• Determined the influence of lattice topology on the structural behavior of the femur.
• Assessed the integrated performance of the implant and femur under diverse load scenarios.

Conclusions:

• Graded density lattice structures offer a promising approach to developing femoral implants with mechanical properties similar to bone.
• This technology has the potential to reduce stress shielding and improve the longevity of hip replacements, thereby decreasing the need for revision surgeries.