ABSTRACT
A combined computational and experimental study of 3D-printed scaffolds made from hybrid nanocomposite materials for potential applications in bone tissue engineering is presented. Polycaprolactone (PCL) and polylactic acid (PLA), enhanced with chitosan (CS) and multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), were investigated in respect of their mechanical characteristics and responses in fluidic environments. A novel scaffold geometry was designed, considering the requirements of cellular proliferation and mechanical properties. Specimens with the same dimensions and porosity of 45% were studied to fully describe and understand the yielding behavior. Mechanical testing indicated higher apparent moduli in the PLA-based scaffolds, while compressive strength decreased with CS/MWCNTs reinforcement due to nanoscale challenges in 3D printing. Mechanical modeling revealed lower stresses in the PLA scaffolds, attributed to the molecular mass of the filler. Despite modeling challenges, adjustments improved simulation accuracy, aligning well with experimental values. Material and reinforcement choices significantly influenced responses to mechanical loads, emphasizing optimal structural robustness. Computational fluid dynamics emphasized the significance of scaffold permeability and wall shear stress in influencing bone tissue growth. For an inlet velocity of 0.1 mm/s, the permeability value was estimated at 4.41 × 10-9 m2, which is in the acceptable range close to human natural bone permeability. The average wall shear stress (WSS) value that indicates the mechanical stimuli produced by cells was calculated to be 2.48 mPa, which is within the range of the reported literature values for promoting a higher proliferation rate and improving osteogenic differentiation. Overall, a holistic approach was utilized to achieve a delicate balance between structural robustness and optimal fluidic conditions, in order to enhance the overall performance of scaffolds in tissue engineering applications.
ABSTRACT
In this study, experimental tests and numerical simulations (Abaqus) were performed to examine the durability of four impeller materials [steel, polyethylene, polypropylene and glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP)] in an anaerobic digester environment. Specimens of these materials were prepared and immersed in a bath containing anaerobic digester liquor while operated at 40 °C for a period of 8 months. Periodically (2, 4, 6 and 8 months) sample specimens were removed from the bath and the tensile strength and elastic modulus were determined. As expected, thermoplastic materials and especially GFRP exceeded higher absorption of moisture than steel, although aging effect on steel was more pronounced due to corrosion, as evidenced by SEM imaging. The results demonstrate that polyethylene was not acceptable as construction material for anaerobic digester paddle mixer. On the contrary steel, GFRP and PP remained highly unaffected with a negligible increase of the maximum stress, 1.6%, 0.9% and 3.0%, respectively.
Subject(s)
Polyethylene , Polymers , Anaerobiosis , Computer Simulation , SteelABSTRACT
The present study aims to investigate the influence of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) on the damage tolerance after impact (CAI) of the development of Out of Autoclave (OoA) carbon fibre reinforced polymer (CFRP) laminates. The introduction of MWCNTs into the structure of CFRPs has been succeeded by adding carbon nanotube-enriched sizing agent for the pre-treatment of the fibre preform and using an in-house developed methodology that can be easily scaled up. The modified CFRPs laminates with 1.5 wt.% MWCNTs were subjected to low velocity impact at three impact energy levels (8, 15 and 30 J) and directly compared with the unmodified laminates. In terms of the CFRPs impact performance, compressive strength of nanomodified composites was improved for all energy levels compared to the reference material. The test results obtained from C-scan analysis of nano-modified specimens showed that the delamination area after the impact is mainly reduced, without the degradation of compressive strength and stiffness, indicating a potential improvement of damage tolerance compared to the reference material. SEM analysis of fracture surfaces revealed the additional energy dissipation mechanisms; pulled-out carbon nanotubes which is the main reason for the improved damage tolerance of the multifunctional composites.
