ABSTRACT
Objective To obtain the distribution of stress concentration on the microporous structure of 3D-printed materials through a mapping algorithm with low calculation cost, so as to provide a new method of finite element calculation of 3D-printed materials for the prediction of fatigue life and the optimization of structural design. Methods Node coordinates and stress values within the influential region of the single pore were extracted to calculate the stress concentration coefficients of different nodes. The nearest node to each node on the ideal model was determined by distance, and the corresponding coefficient was multiplied by its stress value. When the nearest nodes of several nodes were the same, the average of these coefficients was assigned. For the pores close to the edge, an edge coefficient must be multiplied to reduce the error. Results An error of less than 8% between the mapping result and the calculation result was achieved for the case in which the pores were not near the edge, but for the case in which the pores were close to each other near the edge, the error was less than 15%. Conclusions The mapping algorithm can effectively characterize the stress concentration of the microporous structure of 3D-printed materials, and determine the stress distribution with low cost. This novel algorithm provides the finite element result for the optimization design and fatigue analysis of implants in clinical applications.