The select of internal architecture for porous Ti alloy scaffold: A compromise between mechanical properties and permeability

With the hope to provide guidance to the design of additive manufactured porous orthopaedic implants and bone substitutes, three different topological porous structures (primitive, gyroid, bcc) with a porosity of 65% were designed and fabricated by selective laser melting using Ti-6Al-4V powders. The compressive and tensile properties of the porous scaffolds were investigated using quasi-static compression and tensile tests, respectively. Deformation behaviors of porous structures were analyzed by finite element simulation at different compression strains and loading condition. The Gyroid scaffolds have the highest compressive strength and tensile strength of 392.1 MPa and 321.3 MPa, respectively, almost two times higher than that of BCC scaffolds. Permeability of the scaffolds was measured using the falling head method and compared with the results of the computational fluid dynamics. The results showed that the permeability of the Gyroid scaffolds was about 20% that of the BCC scaffolds. It was suggested internal architecture for porous Ti alloy scaffold could significantly affect the mechanical stress and permeability. [Display omitted] •Three different Ti-6Al-4V porous scaffolds (Primitive, Gyroid, Bcc) with 65% porosity were designed and manufactured by SLM.•The mechanical properties of porous scaffolds were determined by both compression and tensile tests.•The failure behaviors and permeability of porous scaffolds were analyzed by finite element simulation.•The largest cross-sectional area endows G scaffolds with the highest compressive strength and tensile strength.•Because of the simpler topological structure and bigger pore size, B scaffolds have outstanding permeability.