UCL Discovery
UCL home » Library Services » Electronic resources » UCL Discovery

Finite element evaluations of the mechanical properties of polycaprolactone/hydroxyapatite scaffolds by direct ink writing: Effects of pore geometry

Zhang, B; Guo, L; Chen, H; Ventikos, Y; Narayan, RJ; Huang, J; (2020) Finite element evaluations of the mechanical properties of polycaprolactone/hydroxyapatite scaffolds by direct ink writing: Effects of pore geometry. Journal of the Mechanical Behavior of Biomedical Materials , 104 , Article 103665. 10.1016/j.jmbbm.2020.103665. Green open access

[thumbnail of JMBBM_2020_accepted.pdf]
Preview
Text
JMBBM_2020_accepted.pdf - Accepted Version

Download (9MB) | Preview
[thumbnail of Supplementary_figure.jpg]
Preview
Image
Supplementary_figure.jpg - Accepted Version

Download (358kB) | Preview

Abstract

Osteochondral (OC) defects usually involve the damage of both the cartilage and its underneath subchondral bone. In recent years, tissue engineering (TE) has become the most promising method that combines scaffolds, growth factors, and cells for the repair of OC defects. An ideal OC scaffold should have a gradient structure to match the hierarchical mechanical properties of natural OC tissue. To satisfy such requirements, 3D printing, e.g., direct ink writing (DIW), has emerged as a technology for precise and customized scaffold fabrication with optimized structures and mechanical properties. In this study, finite element simulations were applied to investigate the effects of pore geometry on the mechanical properties of 3D printed scaffolds. Scaffold specimens with different lay-down angles, filament diameters, inter-filament spacing, and layer overlaps were simulated in compressive loading conditions. The results showed that Young's moduli of scaffolds decreased linearly with increasing scaffold porosity. The orthotropic characteristics increased as the lay-down angle decreased from 90° to 15°. Moreover, gradient transitions within a wide range of strain magnitudes were achieved in a single construct by assembling layers with different lay-down angles. The results provide quantitative relationships between pore geometry and mechanical properties of lattice scaffolds, and demonstrate that the hierarchical mechanical properties of natural OC tissue can be mimicked by tuning the porosity and local lay-down angles in 3D printed scaffolds.

Type: Article
Title: Finite element evaluations of the mechanical properties of polycaprolactone/hydroxyapatite scaffolds by direct ink writing: Effects of pore geometry
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1016/j.jmbbm.2020.103665
Publisher version: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmbbm.2020.103665
Language: English
Additional information: This version is the author accepted manuscript. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions.
Keywords: Bone scaffold, Tissue engineering, Finite element method, Pore geometry, Mechanical property, Direct ink writing
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Engineering Science
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Engineering Science > Dept of Mechanical Engineering
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10090954
Downloads since deposit
741Downloads
Download activity - last month
Download activity - last 12 months
Downloads by country - last 12 months

Archive Staff Only

View Item View Item