Design and manufacturing of a human standardised hip cup out of titanium

Background: In recent years, the use of hip prostheses has become a routine procedure. Despite this experience and good clinical results different complications arise which have a negative influence on the lifetime of prostheses. Especially the migration or loosening of the hip cup prosthesis due to strain adaptive bone remodelling is still a problem. Patient‐individual prostheses represent a possible solution to this problem. Individual hip cups, however, are just implanted for the treatment of massive deformities or tumours. This study aimed at developing an innovative concept for the production of patient‐specific human hip prostheses made of titanium plates by sheet metal forming. Methods: For the realisation of this innovative concept, a reproducible design method for the generation of standardised human hip cup prosthesis was generated based on 13 original human geometries. By means of this methodology a hip cup was designed. Based on this design a human hip cup was produced by a developed high‐pressure sheet metal forming process. The development of the process was accompanied by a numerical preliminary design. Results: A comparison between the simulation and the fabricated hip cup leads to a standard deviation of 0.404 mm. Furthermore, an implantation of the prosthesis in a synthetic bone model shows a satisfactory fit accuracy at the edge of the prosthesis. Conclusion: The high‐pressure sheet metal forming process is suitable to manufacture the designed standardised hip cup. However, further optimisation is necessary.     

Fabrication of TC4/TiCp New Hip Prosthesis by Laser Cladding

Artificial hip prostheses are commonly utilized in total hip replacement surgeries. However, current single materials like metal, polyethylene, and ceramic do not satisfy the comprehensive performance requirements of prostheses, such as biocompatibility, wear resistance, and toughness. To address these limitations, a new metal–ceramic hip prosthesis which can be prepared by laser cladding technique is proposed. By combining the advantages of metal and ceramic, this prosthesis aims to overcome existing product limitations. A TiCp bioceramic coating is prepared on the TC4 surface, and its microstructure, mechanical properties, and biological characteristics are systematically analyzed. The results show that the TiCp phase is uniformly distributed in the coating. Additionally, dendritic TiCp at the bonding interface results in metallurgical bond between the coating and substrate. The α-Ti phase in the matrix of the TiCp coating helps to enhance its fracture toughness and fatigue strength, while the solid solution of trace C elements in the matrix provides solid solution strengthening. Mechanical tests reveal that the microhardness of the TiCp coating is 2.5 times greater than that of the substrate, and the wear mass is reduced by 89.4%. Finally, the TiCp bioceramic coating is verified to be biocompatible, demonstrating excellent potential for use in hip prostheses.     

Measurement of the Relative Motion Between an Implant and Bone under Cyclic Loading

Abstract:  The measurement of the relative motion between a prosthesis and the surrounding bone is important for the pre-clinical testing of prostheses and implants. A technique that allows measurements to be made over several million loading cycles was developed by Maher et al. ( Clin. Biomech. 2001; 16: 307–314). However, the measurement of implant/bone motion is fraught with difficulties because: (i) testing over millions of cycles can take several days and errors because of diurnal temperature variations can occur, (ii) elastic deformations of the stem could have a dominant effect on 'inducible displacements', the rate of change of which is hypothesised to be a measure of loosening, and (iii) the use of this method for the analysis of cementless prostheses has yet to be demonstrated. This paper addresses these methodological issues with respect to testing hip prostheses, and concludes with a comparative evaluation of pre-clinical testing methods.     

Shape optimization of uncemented hip prostheses

A computational model to obtain optimized geometries for the femoral component of hip prosthesis is presented. Using structural optimization techniques, the objective is to determine the shape of uncemented stems that maximize initial stability and improve performance. To accomplish this, the optimization problem is formulated by the minimization of the contact stresses and relative displacement on bone–stem interface. Design variables are geometric parameters that characterize selected cross sections. These parameters are subject to a set of linear geometric constraints in order to obtain clinically admissible geometries. Furthermore, a multiple load formulation is used to incorporate different daily life activities. Optimization results are useful to design new stems or, if integrated in an appropriate computer-aided design (CAD) system, to design custom-made hip prostheses. In the later case, the model is able to include personalized information such as patient's femur geometry and therefore personalized geometric constraints and optimization parameters.     

Effect of continuous strain path changes on forming limit strains of DP600

The strain path may change in actual sheet metal‐forming processes, so the determination of formability of sheet metal should consider the nonlinear strain path. For identifying the forming limit (FL) strains under nonlinear strain path, a conventional two‐step procedure with unloading is classically used to produce the strain path change, which results in no continuous measure of strain. The in‐plane biaxial tensile test with a cruciform specimen is an interesting alternative to overcome the drawbacks of conventional method. The strain path change can be made without unloading during a single test. In this work, the experimental FL strains of DP600 sheets under two types of nonlinear strain path are investigated and then compared with those under linear strain paths. The Oyane ductile fracture criterion is used in the finite element simulation to predict the experimental results.     

Improved mechanical long-term reliability of hip resurfacing prostheses by using silicon nitride

Although ceramic prostheses have been successfully used in conventional total hip arthroplasty (THA) for many decades, ceramic materials have not yet been applied for hip resurfacing (HR) surgeries. The objective of this study is to investigate the mechanical reliability of silicon nitride as a new ceramic material in HR prostheses. A finite element analysis (FEA) was performed to study the effects of two different designs of prostheses on the stress distribution in the femur–neck area. A metallic (cobalt–chromium-alloy) Birmingham hip resurfacing (BHR) prosthesis and our newly designed ceramic (silicon nitride) HR prosthesis were hereby compared. The stresses induced by physiologically loading the femur bone with an implant were calculated and compared with the corresponding stresses for the healthy, intact femur bone. Here, we found stress distributions in the femur bone with the implanted silicon nitride HR prosthesis which were similar to those of healthy, intact femur bone. The lifetime predictions showed that silicon nitride is indeed mechanically reliable and, thus, is ideal for HR prostheses. Moreover, we conclude that the FEA and corresponded post-processing can help us to evaluate a new ceramic material and a specific new implant design with respect to the mechanical reliability before clinical application.     

Shape optimization of uncemented hip prostheses

A computational model to obtain optimized geometries for the femoral component of hip prosthesis is presented. Using structural optimization techniques, the objective is to determine the shape of uncemented stems that maximize initial stability and improve performance. To accomplish this, the optimization problem is formulated by the minimization of the contact stresses and relative displacement on bone-stem interface. Design variables are geometric parameters that characterize selected cross sections. These parameters are subject to a set of linear geometric constraints in order to obtain clinically admissible geometries. Furthermore, a multiple load formulation is used to incorporate different daily life activities. Optimization results are useful to design new stems or, if integrated in an appropriate computer-aided design (CAD) system, to design custom-made hip prostheses. In the later case, the model is able to include personalized information such as patient's femur geometry and therefore personalized geometric constraints and optimization parameters.     

视网膜假体的研究进展

根据视觉假体(visual prosthesis)在视觉通路上刺激部位的不同,概括地介绍了以植入微电子芯片为主要手段的视皮层假体、视神经假体和视网膜假体的视觉修复方法,分析比较了这三种视觉假体的利弊和技术难点.重点论述了研究的热点--视网膜假体研究,介绍了从事该热点研究的两大子方向--视网膜下假体(subretinal prosthesis)和视网膜表层假体(epiretinal prosthesis)研究的主要团队的系统研制和植入实验的进展.最后讨论了视觉假体研究所面临的一些如能量供给、神经网络的模拟、器件集成、电极修饰及生物相容性封装等共性问题,充分肯定了视觉假体研究已取得的成绩并展望了其光明的研究前景.     

Semi‐empirische Berechnungsmethode zur Bestimmung des Grenzformänderungsdiagramms auf Basis mechanischer Kennwerte

Semi‐empirical calculation method for prediction of Forming Limit Curves based on mechanical properties For characterisation purposes of sheet metal forming processes concerning feasibility of material mainly the Forming Limit Curve (FLC) is commonly used. This failure model can either be measured experimentally or can be predicted by using semi‐empirical approaches. These mathematical approaches mainly are validated for Mild Steels. However, prediction of FLCs for modern High Strength Steels or Aluminium sheet alloys is not possible with acceptable accuracy today. This is why this contribution deals with a new semi‐empirical approach for FLC prediction, which is valid for all sheet metal materials used in car body production. This approach uses a correlation of mechanical properties of uniaxial tensile test an experimentally determined limit strains.     

Today's sheet metal materials and their forming properties

The production and processing of sheet metals of high‐strength steels, titanium, aluminum or magnesium alloys is investigated intensively at universities and in the industry. The main emphasis is put for example on the aluminum space frame concept as well as on the succeeding projects of the ULSAB‐study in the field of the steel sheet metals. Within this article the qualification of the above mentioned materials for the application as deep‐drawing materials will be discussed. The aim of the development for new deep‐drawing sheet metals is to decrease the elastic part of the forming, which means to lower the yield point. A high elastic portion would cause a high resilience after the forming of the sheet metals and therefore an increased requirement of force and form error during the forming process. Furthermore the optimized sheet metal material should have a great uniform elongation, so that it can be plastically deformed in a wide range. The beginning of the deformation should be possible at low forming forces but due to the deformation an increase of the hardening should be caused, so that the finished component has high strength. But it is not possible to realize both aims, high strength and great uniform elongation, at the same time.     

Optimal design of customised hip prosthesis using fiber reinforced polymer composites

The need for new materials in orthopaedic surgery arises from the recognition of the stress-shielding effect of bone by high-modulus implants presently made of engineering alloys. A lower modulus implant material will result in the construction of a more biomechanically compatible prosthesis. In this respect, composite materials are gaining importance because they offer the potential for implants with tailor-made stiffness in contrast to metals. In the present study, the bending stiffness of composite prosthesis is matched with that of bone in both the longitudinal and radial directions by choosing optimal carbon fiber reinforced polyether ether ketone (PEEK) matrix lay-up. A numerical optimization algorithm is developed to deduce the optimal composite femoral prosthesis lay-up that matches the stiffness properties of the femoral bone in both the transverse and longitudinal directions. Effective bending moments and compressive forces acting on the hip joint are considered in the design of the optimal length and diameter of the prosthesis. The optimization algorithm was implemented, by using MATLAB(R)™ for designing the composite prosthesis to a patient’s specific requirement. Finally the efficiency of the composite stem is compared with that of metallic alloy stems in terms of stress shielding using a finite element program.     

Comparison of a polymethylmethacrylate and glass-ionomer bone cement using a hemiarthroplasty in the rabbit femur

Polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) bone cements present various problems with respect to biocompatibility and stability. In order to study the histological changes at the bone-cement interface following total hip replacement, a small animal model was created by implanting hip prostheses using two different bone cements (PMMA and glass-ionomer cement, GIC). Two problems with the use of GIC for fixation of the prosthesis became evident. One year following implantation, histomorphometric analysis of femurs containing the GIC demonstrated significantly higher amounts of osteoid at the bone-cement interface. This disturbance of mineralization is comparable with osteomalacia and probably due to leaching of aluminum ions. In addition the mechanical properties of GIC proved to be inadequate for the loads placed upon it in this hip replacement model.     

Hydromechanisches Tiefziehen und Hochdruckblechumformung als Verfahren zur Herstellung komplexer Bauteile aus Magnesiumfeinblechen des Typs AZ31B‐0

Hydro Mechanical Deep‐Drawing and High Pressure Sheet Metal Forming as Forming Technologies for the Production of Complex Parts Made of Magnesium Sheet Metal AZ31B‐0 Semi ‐ finished sheet ‐ metal products made of magnesium alloys such as AZ31B are known as better deformable at temperatures in the range of 175 °C ‐ 240 °C. By means of hydroforming technologies, as there are hydro mechanical deep‐drawing and high pressure sheet metal forming, the influence of different forming parameters on the forming results has been investigated. A more complex experimental geometry was deformed applying forming temperatures of 175 °C, 200 °C, 225 °C and 240 °C and accordingly adjusted forces of the blank holder. Concerning the applied forming ‐ methods and experimental parameters the forming results have been evaluated and compared regarding the decrease of sheet thickness and the development of small radii. For some experimental parts, which have been deformed by means of high pressure sheet metal forming at temperatures of 175 °C and 225 °C, supplementary investigations have been carried out in order to determine the evolution of characteristic surface values in dependence on the forming operation. On the basis of these results practical recommendations for the limits of application of aforementioned forming technologies for AZ31B‐0 magnesium sheet metal are given.     

A new anisotropic elasto-plastic model with degradation of elastic modulus for accurate springback simulations

Springback, a phenomenon that is governed by elastic strain recovery after the removal of forming loads, is of great concern in sheet metal forming. There is no doubt that in this regard, physically reliable numerical modelling of the forming process and predictions of springback obtained by respective computer simulations are crucial for controlling this problem. Unfortunately, by currently available approaches, springback still cannot be adequately predicted in general. In this paper, a new constitutive model is proposed which considers simultaneously sheet anisotropy, damage evolution and strain path-dependent stiffness degradation during sheet metal forming. For parameter identification of the built constitutive model, a particular experimental procedure is developed and an optimization procedure is employed to solve the inverse problem that arises. The proposed approach to constitutive modelling is validated in the end by a simulation of the springback in the formed HSS steel sheet. The simulation results, which prove to be in good agreement with the experimental ones, lead to the conclusion that accurate modelling only of anisotropic yielding is not enough to accurately predict the springback phenomenon; the constitutive model should also include the strain path-dependent change of the elastic moduli.     

Radial basis functional model for multi-objective sheet metal forming optimization

Fracture and wrinkling are two major defects in sheet metal forming and can be eliminated via an appropriate drawbead design. This article proposes to adopt a multi-objective particle swarm optimization (MOPSO) approach, which differs from traditional multi-objective optimization with construction of a single cost function. MOPSO shows a certain advantage over other single cost function or population-based algorithms. While radial basis function (RBF) has shown considerable promise in highly non-linear problems, there has been no report in sheet metal forming design. Here RBF is attempted to establish the metamodels for fracture and wrinkling criteria in sheet metal forming design. In this article, a sophisticated automobile inner stamping case is exemplified, which demonstrated that RBF provides a better surrogate accuracy and MOPSO is more effective than the other methods studied. The use of RBF driven MOPSO procedure significantly improved the formability and can be recommended for sheet metal process design.     

Thermo-mechanical sheet metal forming of aero engine components in Ti-6Al-4V—PART 2: Constitutive modelling and validation

In this work constitutive models suitable for thermo-mechanical forming of the titanium alloy Ti-6Al-4V are evaluated. A tool concept for thermo-mechanical forming of a double-curved sheet metal component in Ti-6Al-4V is proposed. The virtual tool design is based on finite element (FE) analyses of thermo-mechanical sheet metal forming in which two different anisotropic yield criteria are evaluated and compared with an isotropic assumption to predict global forming force, draw-in, springback and strain localisation. The shape of the yield surface has been found important and the accuracy of the predicted shape deviation could be slightly improved by including the cooling procedure. The predicted responses show promising agreement with the corresponding experimental observations when the anisotropic properties of the material are considered.     

Prediction of non-uniform thinning in superplastically formed spherical domes

Abstract

Superplastic forming is an attractive manufacturing process, which allows the production of complex sheet metal components. The gas pressure bulging of metal sheets has become an important forming method. As the bulging process progresses, significant thinning in the sheet material becomes obvious. A prior knowledge about non-uniform thinning in the product after forming helps the designer in the selection of initial blank thickness. This paper suggests a simple procedure to obtain the variation in thickness of a gas pressure formed spherical dome at any instant of time during the bulging process. This simple procedure is validated by comparing predicted and measured thicknesses of a formed titanium hemispherical dome.     

Finite element modelling and experimental investigation of single point incremental forming process of aluminum sheets: influence of process parameters on punch force monitoring and on mechanical and geometrical quality of parts

New trends in sheet metal forming are rapidly developing and several new forming processes have been proposed to accomplish the goals of flexibility and cost reduction. Among them, Incremental CNC sheet forming operations (ISF) are a relatively new sheet metal forming processes for small batch production and prototyping. In single point incremental forming (SPIF), the final shape of the component is obtained by the CNC relative movements of a simple and small punch which deform a clamped blank into the desired shape and which appear quite promising. No other dies are required than the ones used in any conventional sheet metal forming processes. As it is well known, the design of a mechanical component requires some decisions about the mechanical resistance and geometrical quality of the parts and the product has to be manufactured with a careful definition of the process set up. The use of computers in manufacturing has enabled the development of several new sheet metal forming processes, which are based upon older technologies. Although standard sheet metal forming processes are strongly controlled, new processes like single point incremental sheet forming can be improved. The SPIF concept allows to increase flexibility and to reduce set up costs. Such a process has a negative effect on the shape accuracy by initiating undesired rigid movement and sheet thinning. In the paper, the applicability of the numerical technique and the experimental test program to incremental forming of sheet metal is examined. Concerning the numerical simulation, a static implicit finite element code ABAQUS/Standard is used. These two techniques emphasize the necessity to control some process parameters to improve the final product quality. The reported approaches were mainly focused on the influence of four process parameters on the punch force trends generated in this forming process, the thickness and the equivalent plastic deformation distribution within the whole volume of the workpiece: the initial sheet thickness, the wall angle, the workpiece geometry and the nature of tool path contours controlled through CNC programming. The tool forces required to deform plastically the sheet around the contact area are discussed. The effect of the blank thickness and the tool path on the punch load and the deformation behaviour is also examined with respect to several tool paths. Furthermore, the force acting on the traveling tool is also evaluated. Similar to the sheet thickness, the effect of wall angle and part geometry on the load evolution, the distribution of calculated equivalent plastic strain and the variation of sheet thickness strain are also discussed. Experimental and numerical results obtained allow having a better knowledge of mechanical and geometrical responses from different parts manufactured by SPIF with the aim to improve their accuracy. It is also concluded that the numerical simulation might be exploited for optimization of the incremental forming process of sheet metal.     

Selection application of material to be used in hip prosthesis production with analytic hierarchy process

Metallic biomaterials used in making hip prosthesis are required to meet expectations in terms of fatigue strength, corrosion resistance, wear resistance, cost and biocompatibility. It is also desirable that the modulus of elasticity they possess is close to the level of the possible bone. Metallic biomaterials face the problem of ion release even though they meet the criteria mentioned above. As a result, the choice of metallic material to be preferred in the manufacture of hip prosthesis can be made by evaluating all these criteria among themselves and by the performances of biomaterials to be compared according to these criteria. In this study, firstly the criteria expected from the metals to be used as biomaterials have been determined. Expert opinions about the subject and criteria determined in accordance with the studies in the literature by using analytical hierarchy process have been graded according to each other. Afterwards, selection of the most appropriate material was ensured by making the order of importance according to the criteria of the candidate materials.     

Erforschung Ti–Co‐basierter,bioaktiver Auftraglötschichten auf oxidischen Hochleistungskeramiken in der Medizintechnik

The demand of prostheses and implants made from biomaterials grows as a result of the rising age of patients. For biomaterials, such as those found in joint‐ or hip‐prostheses, that are in direct contact with the organism, not only mechanical stability is required, but also biocompatibility as well as their ability to support bone regeneration. Taking this into account, a thin‐walled bioactive titanium cobalt‐based brazing coating on high‐performance oxide ceramics (Al₂O₃) has been developed. Here, the coating process offers an economical and at the same time technologically simple way for the coating ceramic materials. The biocompatible coating has been enhanced by addition of bioactive particles made of bioglass and calcium phosphates in order to improve bone formation. The reactions between the bioactive particles and the brazing alloys, as well as the particular melting behavior, were determined through thermo analytical methods. The structures of the brazing alloys enriched with bioactive particles were investigated through metallographical methods. The combination of three bioactive additives and two brazing alloys were analyzed in terms of their melting behavior and the resulting porosity, the parameters of the brazing process have been gradually optimized. The results show, that the combination of calcium phosphate particles and Ti–Co alloys effectively meet the requirements for a defined porous, biocompatible brazing coating.