Porous titanium for biomedical bone implant applications

Title : Porous titanium for biomedical bone implant applications

Abstract:

Titanium is commonly used in a wide variety of human bone implants, such as dental implants, hip implants, vertebrae implants etc. The use of titanium in bone implants is due to it been corrosion resistant, and also less dense than competing metals. Titanium bone implants in porous form reduces the stiffness of the implant, near to that of human bone, which reduces the effects of the phenomena known as stress-shielding. The following study investigated the use of coarse titanium powder in the production of porous titanium specimens, by the space holder method. Conventionally, porous titanium has been produced from fine titanium powder. The specimens were produced by mixing coarse titanium powder and sodium chloride particles, and thereafter compacting the specimens at 550 MPa. The sodium chloride particles were removed from the powder specimens by dissolution in water. The compacted specimens were thereafter sintered at 1200 ? for 3 hours in a vacuum atmosphere. The specimens were tested with compression testing, which indicated that as the level of porosity increased within the specimen, the elastic modulus of the specimens reduced. The elastic modulus achieved was found to be significantly lower than that of cortical bone, but similar to the elastic modulus of trabecular bone. The pore size of the specimens was also found to be sufficient for osteointegration and vascularization in the human body. The use of coarse titanium powder is thus a potentially alternate powder to produce porous titanium implants, than the use of fine titanium powder.

Audience Take Away Notes:

• The audience will be able to use the learnings to improve titanium implant design, for bone applications. Currently porous titanium implants are produced from fine titanium powder, which is costly and has high oxygen content
• Faculties can also use the research in their research, such as biomedical engineering
• The research provides a lower cost solution to the production of porous titanium implants

Biography:

Mr. Govender obtained his Bachelors degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa in 2009. He thereafter worked in the electricity generation sector for 5 years, whilst completing his Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Cape Town, in South Africa. He is currently a lecturer and researcher in the School of Mechanical Engineering at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, and is completing his PhD studies in the field of titanium powder metallurgy.