Design of Bio-Inspired Scaffolds for Enchanced Mechanical Properties

Ho, Xiu Yuan (2025) Design of Bio-Inspired Scaffolds for Enchanced Mechanical Properties. Final Year Project (Bachelor), Tunku Abdul Rahman University of Management and Technology.

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Abstract

Bone tissue engineering has become a key approach for treating bone defects and injuries, offering an alternative to traditional methods like bone grafting. The design and performance of scaffolds are crucial for bone regeneration as they provide structural support and promote cell attachment and growth. However, achieving the right balance between mechanical properties and nutrient flow compatibility remains a significant challenge in scaffold development. The objective of this research was to assess and optimize the design of three scaffold architectures, specifically Honeycomb, Spiderweb, and Lotus Root, for use in bone tissue engineering applications. The study focused on evaluating the scaffolds based on key properties, including total deformation, equivalent strain, equivalent stress, permeability, wall shear stress, and fatigue resistance, all of which are essential for scaffold performance under physiological conditions. To achieve this, computational simulations were performed using Finite Element Method (FEM) for mechanical performance analysis and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) for evaluating fluid interaction properties. These simulations were conducted at varying porosity levels (60%, 65%, 70%, 75%, and 80%) to understand the impact of porosity on the scaffolds’ overall performance. In addition, Design of Experiments (DOE) was used to optimize scaffold geometry and porosity to meet the required mechanical and biological criteria. The results revealed that the Spiderweb scaffold outperformed the other two designs in total deformation, with a maximum deformation of 1.43μ