Investigation of Fracture Mechanics of an Additive Manufacturing Femur Bone for Prosthesis Application

Abstract

Femur fractures often require prosthetic replacement to restore mobility and structural stability. The femur is the largest and the strongest bone in human body which plays an important role in supporting body weight and enabling mobility. However, osteoporosis among elderly or high-impact trauma are common causes of femur fractures. The objective of this study is to design and fabricate a femur bone via 3D printing using PLA material and to perform a mechanical testing on the specimen under different loading condition. Thus, a suitable lattice structure of femur bone implants which is manufactured using additive manufacturing is identified. Finite Element Analysis (FEA) simulation is applied to analyze the stress distributions. Additive manufacturing offers significant for developing personalized, affordable and anatomical accurate prosthetic components. These findings demonstrate that mechanical testing and finite element approach successfully identify critical stress concentration regions along the femoral fracture, with the 1.3 mm strut honeycomb configuration demonstrating more favorable distributions under both standing and walking conditions. These outcomes provide valuable insight into the structural behavior of porous lattice implants, contributing towards the advancement of personalized and anatomical accurate femur bone prosthetic development.