Structural Design Method for Constructions: Simulation, Manufacturing and Experiment

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Materials Science
• Mechanical Engineering

Background:

• Additive manufacturing enables patient-specific implants and prostheses.
• Patient-oriented medicine demands innovative material design concepts.
• Complex geometries, lattice structures, and metamaterials are key to advanced designs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a novel structural design method for optimizing implant and prosthesis microarchitecture.
• To enable the creation of patient-specific designs by controlling material at the micro-level.
• To validate the proposed method through experimental production and testing.

Main Methods:

• Separation of micro- and macro-mechanical parameters.
• Modeling basic cells with a parameter vector (porosity, ellipticity).
• Utilizing an initializing vector based on maximum von Mises stress to guide microarchitectural changes.

Main Results:

• A sample designed using the proposed method was successfully produced via additive manufacturing.
• Computer tomography confirmed the microarchitecture of the structurally designed samples.
• Structural load testing provided data for analysis and validation.

Conclusions:

• The presented method offers a systematic approach to designing complex microarchitectures for implants and prostheses.
• Additive manufacturing is suitable for producing components designed with this advanced structural method.
• The integration of mechanical parameter control allows for tailored material properties in custom medical devices.