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Strut Size-Dependent Compressive Behavior and Failure Mechanisms of Laser-Based Powder Bed Fusion NiTi Octahedral
Ning Zhang1, Wangwei Zhan2, Hongsen Liu2
1School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Xuzhou University of Technology, Xuzhou 221018, China.
Materials (Basel, Switzerland)
|March 14, 2026
Summary
The strut size in laser-based powder bed fusion fabricated nickel-titanium (NiTi) scaffolds significantly impacts mechanical properties. Increasing strut size enhances stiffness and strength, offering tunable performance for biomedical applications.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Biomaterials Engineering
- Additive Manufacturing
Background:
- Nickel-titanium (NiTi) alloys offer unique properties like shape memory and superelasticity, making them suitable for functional and biomedical uses.
- Laser-based powder bed fusion (PBF-LB/M) enables the fabrication of complex NiTi porous scaffolds.
- Understanding the influence of microstructural design on mechanical behavior is crucial for optimizing scaffold performance.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effect of strut size on the compressive response of PBF-LB/M fabricated NiTi ortho-octahedral porous scaffolds.
- To establish a structure-property-failure relationship for these scaffolds.
- To provide guidance for tailoring scaffold mechanical properties via strut size modification.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of NiTi scaffolds with varying strut sizes (280-400 μm) using PBF-LB/M.
- Quasi-static compression testing to evaluate mechanical response.
- Finite element simulations to model deformation behavior and stress concentration.
Main Results:
- Scaffolds exhibited high geometric fidelity and manufacturability.
- Mechanical properties (elastic modulus and compressive strength) increased with strut size.
- Elastic modulus ranged from 1.17 to 4.28 GPa; compressive strength from 155 to 564 MPa.
- Failure modes transitioned from layer-by-layer collapse to shear-band dominated with increasing strut size.
- Simulations accurately reproduced experimental results, highlighting stress concentration at junctions.
Conclusions:
- Strut size is a critical design parameter for controlling the mechanical behavior of NiTi scaffolds.
- The study provides a validated framework for predicting scaffold performance based on geometry.
- Findings offer practical insights for designing NiTi scaffolds with tailored stiffness, strength, and failure mechanisms for specific applications.
