Ceramics International xxx (xxxx) xxx–xxx

Contents lists available at ScienceDirect

Ceramics International
journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/ceramint

Calcium phosphate-PLA scaffolds fabricated by fused deposition modeling

technique for bone tissue applications: Fabrication, characterization and
simulation
S. Sahmania, A. Khandanb,∗, S. Esmaeilic, S. Saber-Samandaric, M. Ghadiri Nejadd, M.M. Aghdame
a
School of Science and Technology, The University of Georgia, Tbilisi, 0171, Georgia
b
Mechanical Engineering Department, Khomeinishahr Branch, Islamic Azad University, Khomeinishahr, Iran
c
New Technologies Research Center, Amirkabir University of Technology, Tehran, 15875-4413, Iran
d
Industrial Engineering Department, Girne American University, Kyrenia, Via Mersin 10, TRNC, Turkey
e
Mechanical Engineering Department, Amirkabir University of Technology, Tehran, 15875-4413, Iran

ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT

Keywords: With the aid of fast development in manufacturing techniques, it is now possible to produce structures with con-
Biomechanics siderable geometrical complexity. In the current investigation, 3D printing machine is utilized to produce beam-type
Nonlinear dynamics bone implant made of porous polymers with three different periodic cellular topologies. The stress-strain curves and
3D printing design mechanical properties of the bone implants are extracted experimentally corresponding to each porosity shape with
Bone implants
various pore sizes. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) is utilized to assess the biological capability in apatite for-
Porosity
mation on the free surface of the fabricated scaffolds after soaking in the simulated body fluid (SBF). Thereafter, based
upon the obtained mechanical properties and using generalized differential quadrature (GDQ) method, the nonlinear
primary resonance of bone implants made of the polymer scaffolds and subjected to the soft harmonic excitation is
predicted corresponding. The frequency-response and amplitude-response of the bone implants are presented asso-
ciated with the cubic, spherical and honeycomb periodic cellular topologies and different pore sizes. The analysis of
soaked samples in SBF reveals that among different porosity shapes, the samples with cubic and hexagonal porosities
have the maximum and minimum permeability, respectively. However, this pattern is vice versa for apatite formation.
Moreover, it is seen that for the samples with cubic and hexagonal porosity shapes, the oscillation amplitude as well as
the associated excitation frequency at the peak of jump phenomenon are maximum and minimum, respectively.

1. Introduction porous composites with thermal expansion characteristics based on the

Porosity plays an important role in flow and transport as well as
mechanical characteristics of porous media. In recent years, via new
techniques such as X-ray tomography, it is possible to detect pore
structures with high resolution. Knackstedt et al. [1] studied the effect of
correlated heterogeneity on two-phase flow through porous media using
the pore network models of porous rock. Arns et al. [2] characterized
different complex material microstructures, the associated experimental
data sets were generated from X-ray computer tomography imaging.
Besides the pore scale, also the topology of the structure which re-
presents the way how pores are interconnected is a crucial factor in
mechanical as well as biological properties of porous materials. For
instance, Takezawa et al. [3] performed topology optimization to ob-
tain an optimal pore structure shape with high stiffness which was
verified experimentally. They also introduced a design methodology for
topology optimization for realizing macroscopic inward deformation
[4]. Ramalingom et al. [5] proposed a novel interpolation technique on
the basis of density approach to conduct the topology optimization for
heat transfer of porous materials. Hedayati et al. [6] quantified the
isolated and modulated effects of topological design on the mechanical
properties of additive manufactured porous biomaterials. Park et al. [7]
recovered the complex bone internal structure using a perimeter control
based topology optimization approach.
On the other hand, due to the wide range of applications of porous
materials, several investigations have been carried out to study the me-
chanical behavior of structures made of porous materials. Chen et al. [8]
investigated the nonlinear free vibration and postbuckling of multilayer
functionally graded porous beams made of metal foams reinforced with
nanofillers. Jamshidi and Arghavani [9] defined a multi-objective opti-
mization problem to maximize the critical buckling load and minimize

∗
Corresponding author. Tel.: +98 913 571 9626.
E-mail addresses: sas.khandan@iaukhsh.ac.ir, amir_salar_khandan@yahoo.com (A. Khandan).

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ceramint.2019.09.238
Received 10 August 2019; Received in revised form 21 September 2019; Accepted 24 September 2019
0272-8842/ © 2019 Elsevier Ltd and Techna Group S.r.l. All rights reserved.

Please cite this article as: S. Sahmani, et al., Ceramics International, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ceramint.2019.09.238
S. Sahmani, et al.
mass of a functionally graded porous beam, simultaneously. Thang et al.
[10] analyzed the elastic buckling and free vibration responses of porous-
cellular plates based upon the first-order shear deformation plate model.
Yang et al. [11] explored the buckling and free vibration behavior of
functionally graded porous nanocomposite plates reinforced with gra-
phene platelets. Sahmani et al. [12–14] anticipated the size-dependent
nonlinear instability and vibrations of functionally graded porous micro/
nano-structures reinforced with graphene platelets. She et al. [15] stu-
died the nonlocal strain gradient vibrational response of porous nano-
tubes based on the developed size-dependent beam model. Dong et al.
[16] predicted the free vibration response of functionally graded porous
nanocomposite cylindrical shells with spinning motion. Sahmani and
Aghdam [17,18] developed an analytical model for nonlinear mechan-
ical characteristics of porous biomaterials including truncated cube cells.
Fazzolari [19] examined the free vibration and elastic stability behavior
of three-dimensional porous sandwich beams resting on an elastic
foundation based upon different beam theories. Sahmani et al. [20,21]
fabricated 3D printed bio-nanocomposite porous structure, and then the
nonlinear bending and vibration of a beam-type bone implant made of
the fabricated porous nanocomposites were studied. Wu et al. [22]
captured the dynamic response of functionally graded porous structures
on the basis of the finite element analysis. They also solved a non-de-
terministic linear elastic problem of functionally graded porous bar with
uncertain-but-bounded system parameters [23].
Previous investigations have shown that the use of micromechanical
techniques for analyzing and evaluating the mechanical behavior of bony
scaffolds is an efficient way to predict their mechanical and biological
characteristics [24–37]. Considering the importance of this subject, the
present study attempts to demonstrate the effectiveness of the micro-
mechanical method in topological analyzing of beam-type bony scaffolds
and comparison their performance. The prime aim of this work is to carry
out a topological analysis on the nonlinear primary resonance associated
with the nonlinear forced vibrations of harmonic excited beams made of
3D printed porous polymers. For this purpose, three different patterns of
topology including cubic, cylindrical and honeycomb shapes are designed
via 3D printing machine. Thereafter, the mechanical properties of the
samples are extracted experimentally corresponding to different pore sizes.
Based upon the obtained properties, a numerical solution methodology
using generalized differential quadrature (GDQ) method together with the
Galerkin technique is put to use to predict the frequency-response and
amplitude-response related to the nonlinear primary resonance of har-
monic excited beams made of the fabricated porous materials.
2. Material fabrication
The production process for manufacturing bone scaffolds with dif-
ferent topologies using bio-nanocomposite filaments includes three
phases:
• Fabrication of composite filaments
• Design of the desired scaffold
• Production of the scaffold via 3D printer machine
2.1. Fabrication of composite filaments
The proper filaments for using in 3D printer machines are produced
in standard dimensions with diameters of 1.75 mm and 3 mm . The
model of a 3D printer indicates the value of filament diameter. In the
current study, because of using extruder 3D printer machine, the
composite filaments with diameter of 1.75 mm are put to use. To fab-
ricate the PLA-HA composite filaments, the hydroxyapatite (HA) (pur-
chased from MERC, Germany) is mixed with powders of polylactic acid
(PLA) including 30 wt% of the mixture, the obtained mixture is then
milled for 20 min. Thereafter, the prepared composite powder is in-
serted to extruder machine, and the gear pulls the powder towards the
related cast. After passing from the extrusion cast, the associated
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Ceramics International xxx (xxxx) xxx–xxx
filaments are extended with a proper speed to obtain the diameter of
1.75 mm .
2.2. Design of the desired scaffold
Three different scaffold models with as cubic, cylindrical and hex-
agonal (honeycomb) porosities are taken into consideration. Each of
these models have its own advantages and deficiencies. The related
designs are performed with the use of Solid Works software. Each
sample is fabricated in a short cylindrical shape with diameter of
20 mm and height of 10 mm which are selected based on the proper
ratio for bone implants in the human body. The presence of symmetry is
considered in the designs in order to tolerate vertical loads more effi-
ciently. The distance between pores are assumed about 2–3 mm. A
proper designed scaffold for bone tissue engineering requires an in-
ternal microstructure with suitable porosity to attract cells in their ar-
chitecture. The size of the holes with a diameter of more than 40–50 μm
is recommended to improve the growth of bone marrow to guide them
in all three dimensions and to hemorrhage.
2.3. Production of the scaffold via 3D printer machine
After performing the related design, the associated STL files are
prepared as input files in Simplify 3D software to consider the required
adjustments for the 3D printer machine. The use of rapid prototyping
allows the production of scaffolds with a well-structured and bio-
compatible structure directly from computer data. In addition, the ex-
ternal shape of the scaffolds can be designed with the availability of
patient defect information. Accordingly, the temperature and diameter
of the nozzle of 3D printer are selected, respectively, equal to 210 °C and
3 mm . Also, the simulation of 3D printing and extracting the related G-
code are conducted. The obtained codes are then used for the 3D printer
machine. After calibration, the production procedure is started which
takes about 2 h for each sample.
The mechanical properties of the scaffolds are measured using a
tensile strength test device (SANTAM-STM50, New Technology Research
Centre, Tehran, Iran). For this purpose, each sample is loaded at a dis-
placement rate of 0.2 mm/min and the tensile strength is evaluated. The
output of the device, which is the force and displacement data, results in
the stress-strain curve. Finally, by using the gradient of the elastic region
of the stress–strain curve, the elastic modulus of each sample is obtained.
Also, the highest point in the graph shows the highest stress tolerated by
the sample that is considered as the tensile strength of the sample. After
that, the rigidity test and the Young's modulus are obtained Also, a
densitometric analysis is performed to compare the density value of the
samples with the elastic modulus results.
The samples with three different shapes are characterized using
mechanical testing machine. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM)
analysis is performed to determine the geometry and the microstructure
of the porous PLA-HA. Also, the surface modification of the sample and
the porosity size are evaluated using Image-J software. The biological
behavior of the porous bony architecture is also observed using simu-
lated body fluid (SBF) after soaking for 28 days, the surface area bone-
like apatite formation and cauliflower precipitation on the surface are
estimated. The permeability of the SBF into the porous architecture is
also determined using the permeability software.
3. Experimental analysis outcomes
Tabulated in Table 1 are the obtained mechanical properties of the
fabricated porous PLA-HA bio-composite samples with cubic, cylind-
rical and hexagonal porosities. The numbers 1 and 2 for each porosity
shape indicate the samples with 1.2 µm and 0.8 µm pore sizes, respec-
tively. It is seen that the compressive strength (CS) value of the sample
with hexagonal porosity is more than those of the samples with cubic
and cylindrical porosities. The average compressive strength value is
S. Sahmani, et al. Ceramics International xxx (xxxx) xxx–xxx

Table 1
Mechanical properties of the fabricated HA-PLA bony scaffolds corresponding to different porosity shapes and pore sizes.
Property Cubic 1 Cubic 2 Cylindrical 1 Cylindrical 2 Hexagonal 1 Hexagonal 2

Compressive strength (MPa) 5.48 6.2 6.52 6.7 7.2 7.55

Elastic Modulus (MPa) 125 136 190 204 350 410
Poisson ratio 0.31 0.32 0.31 0.33 0.34 0.35
Density (gr/cm3) 2.9 2.9 2.9 2.9 2.9 2.9

Table 2
Biological response of the fabricated HA-PLA bony scaffolds after soaking in the SBF [46].
Property Cubic 1 Cubic 2 Cylindrical 1 Cylindrical 2 Hexagonal 1 Hexagonal 2

−5 3 −1 −1
Permeability)10 m N s ) 4.4 4.35 3.9 3.5 3.2 3.5
Porosity (%) 65 70 68 70 85 88
Weight changes (mg) −0.4 −0.5 −0.6 −0.55 −0.52 −0.55
Apatite formation (%) 0.18 0.21 0.23 0.24 0.29 0.36

reported within the range of 5.5–7.5 MPa. In addition, the values of
Poisson's ratio corresponding to each type of topology are extracted via
the analysis of stress-strain curves depicted in Fig. 3. Moreover, it is
obvious that the porosity shape of the printed architecture has no effect
on the mass density as it is independent of the topological changes.
Table 2 represents the biological response of the samples soaked in
SBF as shown in Fig. 1. It is revealed that the apatite formation rate
increases by changing in dimension and design of the porous scaffolds.
However, the weight change and permeability value decrease due to the
higher contact area with SBF saline [46]. It is found that among dif-
ferent porosity shapes, the samples with the cubic and hexagonal por-
osities have the maximum and minimum permeability, respectively.
However, this pattern is vice versa for apatite formation. It can be
observed that for all porosity shapes, by reducing the pore size, the
permeability, weight change and apatite formation of the fabricated
bony scaffolds are enhanced.
The 3D architecture of the designed samples is illustrated in Figs. 2
and 3 in two different views corresponding to the various porosity
shapes. Fig. 4 shows the stress-strain curves associated with each
manufactured sample. It is demonstrated that the fracture point of the
samples with hexagonal, cubic and cylindrical porosities are equal to
12 MPa, 15 MPa and 45 MPa, respectively.
Fig. 5 shows the cubic sample form top and lateral views after
soaking in SBF by using scanning electron microscope (SEM). As it can be
seen from Fig. 5(b), the HA particles are appeared on the polymer matrix
and lead to create a spongy surface which is suitable for cells to growth
on its outer layer. Furthermore, Fig. 5(c) represents the dispersed HA
particles in the PLA matrix. As it is observed in Fig. 5(d), the HA mi-
croparticles are covered within PLA polymers. Consequently, the use of
HA microparticles improves the properties of the manufactured scaffolds
due to their very high free surface area. In terms of engineering, the
reinforced biocomposite material with these ceramic microparticles has a
potentiation of amplification in terms of conductivity and bone growth.
It is found that the conductivity of the samples increases with ad-
dition of ceramics to the polymeric part. However, it is difficult to find a
relationship between the mass of the polymer and the mobility of its
charged microparticles. The porosity and pore size have a significant
effect on the surface to volume ratio, which issues in supporting the
proliferation of alive cells and their scattering within the porous tissue
[46-48]. The obtained results indicate that the low porosity causes the
extracellular matrix (ECM) to block the pores, which leads to stopping
the angiogenic environment [46-47]. The relationship between the
porosity, mechanical strength, chemical and biological stability in hard
scaffolds is of great importance. For instance, the copper oxide

Fig. 1. Schematic representation of the fabrication process for 3D printed PLA-HA bio-nanocomposite bony scaffolds with various topologies (Cubic, cylindrical and
hexagonal shape) .

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Fig. 2. Abaqus modelling of the 3D printed bony scaffolds: (a) hexagonal porosity shape, (b) cubic porosity shape, (c) cylindrical porosity shape.

Fig. 3. Different views and dimensions of the three designs for 3D printed samples: (a) Top view, (b) lateral view.

nanoparticles can provide proper electrical signals to expand tissue deformation beam theory, the displacement field along different co-
mass. The results show that after normalization, the slopes obtained ordinate directions is expressed as
from the analysis changes slightly with addition of ceramics particles.
Recently, researchers also reveal a relationship among the electrical 2z 2 / h2
u x (x , z, t ) = u (x , t ) zw , x (x , t ) + ze (x , t ) (1a)
characteristics of the bone (permittivity) and its Young's modulus and
ultimate strength. This proves the potential of electrical quantities to uz (x , z , t ) = w (x , t ) (1b)
present an insight into the mechanical properties of the bone [46-50].
The current work represented that addition of ceramic powder like HA where u and w denote, respectively, the displacement components of the
can enhance the compressive strength of the final product. Several re- porous beam along x- and z-axis. In addition, is the rotation with respect
searchers show that addition of ceramic and polymeric element to the to the cross section of the beam at neutral plane normal about y-axis.
bio-based polymer can increased the mechanical and chemical stability Consequently, the non-zero strain components are derived as
of the final product compared with the pure product. Addition of MgO,
CuO, ZnO, TiO2 nanoparticle to the HA powder can increased the po-
tential mechanical and biological feature of the porous scaffold pre- xx
=
u, x + ( )w1
2
2
,x zw , xx + ze 2z 2 / h2
,x

pared using space holder technique with suitable porosity percentage

xz 2 2
(1 4z 2 / h2 ) e 2z / h (2)
near to human spongy bone. The tribological effect of carbon nanotube
(CNT) and nanosilica (as synergic agent) has shown better reaction The constitutive equation can be derived as
compared to the pure materials for elastic modulus and final strength of
the product [47, 50]. A porous PLA-HA scaffold may have potential xx E /(1 2) 0 xx
=
application in orthopedic field as bone femur replacement using FDM xz 0 E /(2 + 2 ) xz
(3)
printing technique. Other technique like freeze drying (FD) or space
holder (SH) cannot produce controlled porosity for the human bone, Consequently, the constitutive relations for an exponential shear
therefore, it is one of the most advantageous of 3D printing rather than deformable porous beam can be written as
other scaffold preparation techniques [48-50].
xx
=
E /(1 2) 0 u, x + ( ) (w
1
2 ,x )
2 zw ,xx + ze 2z 2 / h2
,x
xz 0 E /(2 + 2 )
4. Nonlinear primary resonance analysis (1 4z 2 /h2 ) e 2z 2 / h2
(4)

A porous beam-type structure with the length L , width b and thickness As a result, based upon the exponential shear deformable beam
h is considered. Within the framework of the exponential shear model, the total strain energy of a porous beam can be expressed as

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Fig. 4. Linear part of the stress-strain analysis of 3D printed bony scaffolds: (a) hexagonal porosity shape, (b) cubic porosity shape, (c) cylindrical porosity shape.

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Fig. 5. Biological analysis of the 3D printed bony scaffold with (a) cubic, (b) hexagonal, (c) cylindrical architecture, (d) SEM tools, and (e) mixed of PLA polymer and
HA powder within nanosized scale after extrusion and 3D printing

1
L
1
L
1 Afterwards, by using the Hamilton's principle, the governing dif-
= ij ij dSdx = Nxx u, x + w,2x Mxx w ,xx + Rxx + Qx dx
ferential equations in terms of the stress resultants can be achieved as
s ,x
2 2 2
0 S 0

(5) Nxx , x = I0 u, tt (12a)

where, S represents the cross-sectional area of the beam. Also, the stress
Mxx , xx + (Nxx w , x ), x + q = I0 w, tt I3 w, xxtt + I4 (12b)
resultants can be achieved in the following forms
, xtt

1 Rxx, x Qx = I4 w, xtt + I5 , tt (12c)

Nxx = A11 u, x + w,2x , Mxx = D11 w , xx + F11 ,x
2 Thereby, by inserting equation (6) in equation (12), the nonlinear
l2 equations of motion can be derived as
Rxx = F11 w, xx + G11 ,x , Qx = A44 ( , xx ) (6)
A11 [u, xx + w , x w , xx ] = I0 u, tt (13a)
in which
h /2 A11 [u, xx w, x + u, x w , xx + (3/2) w, xx w,2x ] D11 w, xxxx + F11 , xxx = I0
2z 2 / h2
{Nxx , Mxx , Rxx } = b xx {1, z , ze } dz
h /2
w, tt I3 w, xxtt + I4 , xtt q 13b

h /2 F11 w, xxx + G11 , xx A44 , xx = I4 w, xtt + I5 , tt (13c)

Qx = b 4z 2/ h2 ) e 2z 2 / h2dz
xz (1
h /2 (7) In order to perform the numerical solving process in a more general
form, the following dimensionless parameters are taken into con-
and
sideration
zk
{A11 , D11, F11, G11} = Eb/(1 2)
{1, z 2, z 2e 2z 2 / h2, z 2e 4z 2 / h2
} dz x u w h
X= , U= , W= , = , =
zk 1 L h h L
zk
t A11
A44 = Eb/(2 + 2 ) (1 4z 2/h2) e 2z 2 / h2dz T= ,
L I0
zk 1 (8)
A11 A44 D11 F11 G11
Furthermore, the kinetic energy of a porous modeled via the ex- {a11, a44 , d11, f11 , g11} = , , , ,
A11 A11 A11 h2 A11 h2 A11 h2
ponential shear deformable beam model can be given as
L I0 I3 I I qL2
=
1
{(u x, t )2 + (uz , t )2} dSdx =
1 {I0 , I3 , I4 , I5 } = , , 4 , 5 , Q=
T
2 2 I0 I0 h2 I0 h2 I0 h2 A11 h (14)
0 S
L Therefore, the nonlinear governing differential equations of motion
{I0 (u, t )2 + I3 (w , xt ) 2 2I4 w , xt ,t + I5 ( , t ) 2 + I0 (w, t )2} dx can be written in dimensionless form as below
0 (9)
a11 [U , XX + W , X W , XX ] = I0 U , TT (15a)
where represents the mass density of the porous material, and
zk a11 [ U , XX W , X + U , X W , XX + (3/2) 2W , XX W ,2X ] d11 W , XXXX + f11
2z 2 / h2, 4z 2 / h2
{I0, I3, I4 , I5} = b {1, z 2, z 2e z 2e } dz = I0 W , TT I3 W , XXTT + I4 Q (15b)
zk 1 (10) , XXX , XTT

Additionally, the work done by the transverse force q can be defined f11 W , XXX + g11 , XX a44 = I4 W , XTT + I5 , TT (15c)
as follows
At this step, the nonlinear governing equations of motion is solved
L
numerically with the aid of a solution methodology based upon the
P = q (x , t ) wdx GDQ method together with the Galerkin technique [38–44]. To this
0
end, the X domain is discretized based upon the shifted Chebyshev-

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Gauss-Lobatto grid point as follows ˆN = T

diagonal N , ˆ = T
diagonal (24)
Xi = (1)[1 cos( (i 1)/(n 1))] , i = 1,2,3, …, n (16) This point should be mentioned that the expressions for (X ) cor-
Consequently, the discretized nonlinear governing equations of responding to different boundary conditions are actually represent the
motion can be written in terms of mass matrix, damping matrix and associated linear vibrational mode shapes (eigenvectors) which can be
stiffness matrix as below obtained numerically for each type of boundary conditions.
By defining T˜ = T , equation (22) can be rewritten as
M p¨ + p + Lp + N = cos( T ) (17)
2Mˆ g
¨ + ˆ g + ˆ Lg + ˆ N (g3) = ˆ cos(T˜ ) (25)
where
Thereafter, the time domain is discretized on the basis of the fol-
UT I0 D X(0) 0 0 lowing definitions
p = WT , M= 0 I0 D X(0) + I3 D X(2) I4 D X(1) T˜i = i /nt i = 1,2,3, …, nt (26)
T
3×n 0 I4 D X(1) I5 D X(0)
where nt stands for the number of discrete points on the time domain,
and is an even number.
a11 D X(2) 0 0 As a result, one will have
L = 0 d11 D X(4) f11 D X(3) 2Mˆ (D (2) ) TG
T + ˆ (DT(1) ) TG + ˆ LG + ˆ N (G3) = ˆ S (27)
0 f11 D X(3) g11 D X(2) a44 D X(0)
where G includes the first m discretized mode shapes (eigenvectors)
0 q 0 corresponding to the Galerkin technique as
kNu 0 q 0 G=

= kNw , T = 0 q 0 = (2c /
N L) L [q1u]1 × n [q2u]1 × n u]
[qm w w w]
t t 1 × nt [q1 ]1 × nt [q2 ]1 × nt [qm 1 × nt q1 q2 qm
1 × nt 1 × nt 1 × nt
0 3× n
0 q 0 (18)
n× 3 and
in which S = [ cos(T˜1) cos(T˜2 ) cos(T˜nt ) ] (28)
U1 W1 1 Moreover, the time derivative operator corresponding to each order
U2 W2 2 can be introduced explicitly in the following matrix forms
U = U3 , W = W3 , = 3
(1)
G11 =0
Un Wn (19)
n

DT(1) = Gij(1) where

Gi(1)
1 = ( 1)
i 1 cot ( (i 1)
nt ) i , j = 2,3, …, nt
(D X(1) W) (D X(2) W)
kNu = a11
Gij(1) = ( 1)nt + 1 j cot ( (nt + 1
nt
j)
)
3 G((1) (1)
kNw = a11 [(D X(2) U) (D X(1) W) + (D X(1) U) (D X(2) W)] + a11 i + 1)(j + 1) = Gij
2
2 (D (2) W) (29)
X (D X(1) W) (D X(1) W)
(2) 1 nt2
where c is the damping parameter, ∘ denotes the Hadamard product, G11 = 6
+ 12
and the derivative operators corresponding to each order can be defined
as DT(2) = Gij(2) where
Gi(2)
1 = ( 1)
i 1/ 2 sin2
( (i 1)
nt ) i, j = 2,3, …, nt
[Identity matrix ]n× n
n
i=0 Gij(2) =( 1)nt + 1 j / 2 sin2 ( (nt + 1
nt
j)
)
j = 1, j k (Xk Xj )
(Xk Xj) n
i = 1 , j, k = 1,2,3, …, n G((2) (2)
i + 1)(j + 1) = Gij
k = 1, k j (X j Xk )

(i 1) (30)
[D X(i) ]kj = DX

Now, by vectorization of matrices G and ˆ N [38–44], and using

kj
i [D X(1) ]kj [D X(i 1) ]kk i = 2,3,4, …, n 1 , j, k = 1,2,3, …, n
(Xk Xj )
Kronecker product, the vectorized definition of equation (27) can be
n (i ) given as
k = 1, k = j [D X ]kj i = 1,2,3, …, n 1 , j, k = 1,2,3, …, n

(20) ( 2 (D (2) Mˆ) + (DT(1) ˆ ) + (It ˆ L)) vec (G) + vec

T

( ˆ N (G3)) S (It ˆ )=0 (31)

In order to continue the solution methodology, the variable matrix p
is supposed in a separate form as below where It denotes the identity matrix (zero order of the time derivative).
p (X , T ) = ( X ) g (T ) (21) Finally, the pseudo arc-length continuation method [45] is utilized
to solve equation (31) as a set of nonlinear equations.
Substitution equation (21) into equation (17) yields Figs. 6 and 7 display, respectively, the frequency-response and
M g¨ + g+ L g+ N = cos( T ) (22) amplitude-response of the beam-type HA-PLA bony scaffolds corre-
sponding to different porosity shapes and pore sizes. It is seen that for
Subsequently, via the Galerkin technique, the Duffing type equation the samples with cubic and hexagonal porosity shapes, the oscillation
of motion relevant to the forced oscillations of a harmonic excited amplitude as well as the associated excitation frequency at the peak of
porous beam can be extracted as jump phenomenon are maximum and minimum, respectively. In addi-
Mˆ g¨ + ˆ g + ˆ Lg + ˆ N (g3) = ˆ cos( T ) (23) tion, the excitation amplitude at the both bifurcation points has the
maximum value for the sample with hexagonal porosity shape, while
in which this value becomes minimum for the cubic porosity shape. Also, it can
be observed that by increasing the pore size, the height of jump phe-
Mˆ = T
diagonal M , ˆ = T
, ˆL = T
nomenon related to the nonlinear resonance of bony scaffolds increases.
diagonal diagonal L

7
S. Sahmani, et al.
Fig. 6. Nonlinear frequency-response of the harmonic excited beam-type bony
scaffolds with various porosity shapes and pore sizes.
Fig. 7. Nonlinear amplitude-response of the harmonic excited beam-type bony
scaffolds with various porosity shapes and pore sizes.
Fig. 8. Influence of the excitation amplitude on the nonlinear frequency-re-
sponse of the harmonic excited beam-type bony scaffolds with cubic porosity
shape.
8
Ceramics International xxx (xxxx) xxx–xxx
Fig. 9. Influence of the excitation frequency on the nonlinear amplitude-re-
sponse of the harmonic excited beam-type bony scaffolds with cubic porosity
shape.
These observations are more significant in the case of simply supported-
simply supported (SS-SS) boundary conditions than clamped-clamped
(C–C) one.
In Figs. 8 and 9, the influence of excitation amplitude on the fre-
quency-response and the influence of the excitation frequency on the
amplitude response of a beam-type bony scaffold with cubic porosity
shape are shown, respectively. It is found that by through an increment
in the excitation amplitude, the oscillation amplitude as well as the
associated excitation frequency at the peak of jump phenomenon in-
crease. Additionally, it is depicted that for the harmonic excitation with
higher frequency, the oscillation amplitudes associated with the first
and second bifurcation points enhance, and this enhancement is more
considerable for the second bifurcation point.
5. Conclusion
Mechanical features of 3D designed scaffolds made of PLA and HA
are one of the factors affecting the performance of bone implants. In
this research, a topological analysis on the nonlinear primary resonance
of harmonic excited HA-PLA bio-composite bony scaffolds was con-
ducted. With the aid of 3D printing machine, the bony scaffolds were
fabricated with various porosity shapes and pore sizes. The mechanical
properties as well as biological performance of the HA-PLA bio-com-
posites after soaking in the SBF were achieved experimentally.
It was observed that the compressive strength value of the sample
with hexagonal porosity is more than those of the samples with cubic
and cylindrical porosities due to its high elastic modulus. In addition, it
was seen that the porosity shape of the printed architecture has no ef-
fect on the mass density as it is independent of the topological changes.
It was demonstrated that among different porosity shapes, the samples
with cubic and hexagonal porosities have the maximum and minimum
permeability, respectively. However, this pattern is vice versa for apa-
tite formation. Additionally, for all porosity shapes, by reducing the
pore size, the permeability, weight change and apatite formation of the
fabricated bony scaffolds enhance. It was reported that for the samples
with cubic and hexagonal porosity shapes, the oscillation amplitude as
well as the associated excitation frequency at the peak of jump phe-
nomenon are maximum and minimum, respectively. Moreover, the
excitation amplitude at the both bifurcation points has the maximum
value for the sample with hexagonal porosity shape, while this value
becomes minimum for the cubic porosity shape.
S. Sahmani, et al.
It was demonstrated that the new PLA-CaPs porous bio-nanocompo-
site scaffolds fabricated using FDM technique for femoral and hip fracture
are suitable for orthopedic approaches. The achieved porosity is near to
the optimum one in the human bone which is within the range of
65–75%. In addition, it was shown that by reinforcing them with HA
amount, the porosity size and the compression strength of the architecture
can be affected more in the circular shape rather than hexagonal shape.
Declaration of Competing InterestCOI
It is confirmed that there is no conflict of interest for the current
submission. Moreover, it is confirmed that the manuscript has not been
submitted or published elsewhere.
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