Modeling the effect of porosity and pore morphology on the mechanical properties of titanium structures for osteosynthesis
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.51301/ejsu.2026.i2.02Keywords:
porous titanium structures, osteosynthesis, porosity, finite element method, mechanical propertiesAbstract
In this study, numerical modeling of porous titanium structures intended for use in osteosynthesis systems was performed using the finite element method. The main objective of the work was to evaluate the mechanical behavior of porous structures with different pore geometrical parameters and levels of porosity. For this purpose, representative volume elements (RVE) were constructed, representing fragments of the porous structure. These elements were analyzed under uniaxial loading in order to determine the distribution of stresses and strains within the material. During the simulations, several structural variants with different porosity levels and pore sizes were examined. The obtained results demonstrated that porosity is a key parameter that significantly influences the mechanical behavior of the material. With increasing porosity, a rise in stress concentration in the struts between pores was observed, along with increased heterogeneity of stress and strain fields. This effect is associated with the reduction of the effective load-bearing cross-sectional area of the material and the redistribution of loads within the structure. Analysis of the stress–strain curves for models with pore sizes of 200, 400, and 600 μm showed that, at a fixed level of porosity, variation in pore size has a relatively minor effect on the effective elastic modulus of the material. At the same time, it was established that the geometrical shape of the pores has a more significant impact on the mechanical properties of the structure, including stiffness and stress distribution. The obtained results confirm that optimization of pore geometry is an important factor in the design of porous titanium implants aimed at improving their biomechanical compatibility with bone tissue.
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