Characterization of synthetic foam structures used to manufacture artificial vertebral trabecular bone

David Fürst, Sascha Senck, Marianne Hollensteiner, Benjamin Esterer, Peter Augat, Felix Eckstein, Andreas Schrempf

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

12 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Artificial materials reflecting the mechanical properties of human bone are essential for valid and reliable implant testing and design. They also are of great benefit for realistic simulation of surgical procedures. The objective of this study was therefore to characterize two groups of self-developed synthetic foam structures by static compressive testing and by microcomputed tomography. Two mineral fillers and varying amounts of a blowing agent were used to create different expansion behavior of the synthetic open-cell foams. The resulting compressive and morphometric properties thus differed within and also slightly between both groups. Apart from the structural anisotropy, the compressive and morphometric properties of the synthetic foam materials were shown to mirror the respective characteristics of human vertebral trabecular bone in good approximation. In conclusion, the artificial materials created can be used to manufacture valid synthetic bones for surgical training. Further, they provide novel possibilities for studying the relationship between trabecular bone microstructure and biomechanical properties.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1103-1111
Number of pages9
JournalMaterials Science and Engineering C
Volume76
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jul 2017

Keywords

  • Compressive properties
  • Morphometry
  • Synthetic foam sample
  • Vertebral trabecular bone
  • Biomechanical Phenomena
  • Humans
  • Stress, Mechanical
  • X-Ray Microtomography
  • Cancellous Bone

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