Metallic bone fixation implants: a novel design approach for reducing the stress shielding phenomenon

Abstract

Fixation devices are commonly used for bone fracture treatments. These implants are made of biocompatible materials such as stainless steel, cobalt, titanium and its alloys (e.g. CoCrMo and Ti-6Al-4V). However, metallic medical implants present higher stiffness compared to bone, contributing to the stress shielding phenomena compromising bone integrity. This paper explores the use of topology optimization to create novel bone fixation designs with reduced material volumes. Results show that for certain levels of volume reductions, which depends on the load condition, it is possible to obtain designs that minimise the stress shielding phenomena.

Keywords

• finite-element analysis
• product design
• medical implants
• topology optimization
• stress shielding