Modeling and simulation for mechanical behavior of modified biocomposite for scaffold application

Bones in the human body are a natural composite material that can be fractured due to impact stress and excessive loads. Human bones become less dense and strong when age increases, thereby they become more susceptible to fracture. The present work aims to study the effect of adding nano-ceramic particles on the mechanical properties to fabricate four types of hybrids of Titanium dioxide (TiO2) and Alumina (Al2O3) reinforced polyetheretherketone (PEEK) biocomposites. The objective of this study is to develop and improve the biomechanical properties of the fabricated biomaterials to withstand the loads of the daily human activities. Modeling and analysis of femur bone biomechanics were implemented by using the SOLIDWORKS 17.0 and the finite element ANSYS 15.0 software programs. The response surface methodology (RSM) technique and the Design Expert 11.0 software program were used to improve and verify the results of biomechanical performance of the fabricated biocomposites. From the current research results, it was deduce that the maximum equivalent (von-Misses) and shear stresses on the modeled femur bone are 120,93 and 60,80 MPa. The tensile for modeling the fabricated 20 vol.% TiO2/5 vol.% Al2O3/PEEK biocomposite material is higher than the one of natural femur bone by 10%. The maximum strain energy and the maximum equivalent elastic strain were reduced by 20% and 26,09%, respectively. The stress safety factor values increased in 5,81%, and the fatigue life for the fabricated biocomposite is more than 40,43%, when compared with natural femur bone material.