Principle for development of stress-responsive self-strengthened metallic implants on the basis of unique mechanical function of bone

2016 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 25702027
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (A)
• Allocation Type: Partial Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Biomedical engineering/Biomaterial science and engineering
• Research Institution: Kindai University (2016); Tohoku University (2013-2015)
• Principal Investigator: NAKAI Masaaki 近畿大学, 理工学部, 准教授 (20431603)
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: 生体材料 / チタン合金 / 変形誘起相変態 / オメガ相 / 疲労特性 / 脊椎固定 / 曲げ変形

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In the metals with self-tunable elastic modulus developed by our group, the elastic modulus and strength are increased by deformation-induced phase transformation. Using this function, we have started to try a development of stress-responsive self-strengthened metallic implants. Spinal fixation devices seem to be one of the applications for such the metals, and thus their responses to bending deformations were investigated in this study. As the results, the deformation-induced ω phase was observed in both the compression and tension sides of the bended rods. The metals with self-tunable elastic modulus exhibited high fatigue strengths under tension-tension modes so that high durability could be obtained by suitable surface strengthening treatments for suppressing fretting fatigue at the contacts between the components in spinal fixation devices during cyclic bending deformations.

Free Research Field

材料工学