A Further Investigation Toward the Design of Topology Optimized Solid-Lattice Hybrid Structures for Biomedical Applications

Titanium alloys (e.g., Ti6Al4V) have been widely considered for the design of biomedical implants. To avoid stress shielding effects, bone atrophy and implant loosening bone, 3D porous devices with controlled geometry and architecture should represent a promising solution. Several cellular structures were already investigated to obtain a wide range of mechanical properties. Many studies focused on the mechanical performance of diamond and body-centered-cubic. Different kinds of porous and semi-porous femoral stems were also proposed and analyzed. Accordingly, the aim of the current research was to provide further insight into the design of solid-lattice hybrid structures through a two-step process involving the classical and lattice topology optimization. A cementless femoral stem was considered as a case study. The solid isotropic material with penalization (SIMP) was used at varying values of the penalty factor and the effect of the geometrical features of each beam forming the lattice structure was also determined. Differences were found in terms of functional and structural performances according to the selected strategy for the design of the solid-lattice hybrid structures, as a consequence of the material distribution/layout and geometrical features.