Mechanical Evaluation of Titanium Scaffolds for Orthopedic Implants

Abstract

In this study, titanium scaffolds with three different porosities of 50%, 60% and 70% were produced by Ti powder and urea space holder, using powder metallurgy technique. Structural evaluations were done by X-ray diffraction (XRD) apparatus and scanning electron microscope (SEM) to ensure removal of urea particles and non-oxidized samples due to the sintering process and then uniaxial compression test was performed on produced samples to determine yield stress and young modulus. The results of structural evaluations indicated success in production and absence of undesirable phases in the final products. Compression test evaluations showed that all the samples have young modulus in the range of bone application. It was found that the yield stress and Young’s modulus were strongly depended on the porosity. Therefore, the pore structure and properties of the porous titanium could be tailored to satisfy the requirements of biomedical implants.