Unrestricted Kinematic alignment (KA) in total knee arthroplasty (TKA) replicates the joint line of each patient by adjusting the cuts based on the anatomy of the patient. Mechanical alignment (MA) aims to restore a neutral mechanical axis of the leg, irrespective of the joint line orientation. The purpose of the present study was to compare contact pressure and contact areas of the polyethylene (PE) bearing surface as well as von Mises stress of the PE-tibial tray interface for MA and KA in the same patient, using CT data and finite element analysis. Finite element models were created from lower leg CT scans of 10 patients with knee osteoarthritis with different phenotypes. Mechanical PE properties were experimentally determined by tensile tests on dumbbell specimens. For numerical simulation purposes an adjusted non-linear material model with the maximum load to failure of 30.5 MPa, was calibrated and utilized. Contact pressure points were the deepest parts of the polyethylene inlay. Contact pressures were either very similar or were increased for MA knees throughout the gait cycle. KA either increased or had a comparable contact area, compared to MA. KA and MA produced comparable von Mises stresses, although both alignments breached the failure point of 30.5 MPa in all 3 valgus knees. This might indicate a higher probability of failure at the inlay-tibial baseplate interface. By maintaining the joint line orientation, KA reduces or has comparable contact pressures on the PE bearing surface by increasing or maintaining the contact area throughout one gait cycle in a validated finite element analysis model in 10 different knee phenotypes. The von Mises stress on the PE-tibial component interface was comparable, except for the valgus knees, where the load to failure was achieved in both alignment strategies and slightly higher stresses were observed for KA. Further studies for different knee phenotypes are needed to better understand the pressure changes depending on the alignment strategy applied.

Thermoplastic tapes are commonly processed by the rapid and efficient stamp forming process. During this forming process, the individual unidirectional tapes of the composite stack move relative to each other and relative to the surface of the tool while being in contact with the corresponding counterpart. As a result, the material exhibits a certain resistance against this movement, which is generally dependent on velocity, normal pressure, and temperature. Therefore, this work investigates the ply/tool and ply/ply slippage of unidirectional, carbon fiber reinforced polycarbonate tapes and provides an alternative implementation of the experimentally observed slippage using cohesive zone modeling. The backbone of the modeling approach is an experimental data set obtained from pull-through experiments. In comparison to common slippage or friction theories, the force plateau of thermoplastic UD tapes at elevated temperatures is observed after an initial force peak has been overcome. For both configurations, ply/tool and ply/ply, a reduction of the initial force peak was observed for increasing temperature. Furthermore, the resulting plateau force value is at least 36% higher in the ply/ply configuration compared to the ply/tool configuration at 200 °C. The derived cohesive zone model allows for accurate modeling of the initial force peak and the plateau.

This study investigates the mechanical and dynamic thermomechanical properties of thermoplastic sheet molding compounds (TP‐SMC) combined with thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) to enhance damping while maintaining structural integrity. The methodology uses SMC, a residual material from UD tape processing, to further enhance sustainability. By combining SMC with TPU, a hybrid material is created that merges the high stiffness of the composite with improved damping capabilities. The research explores the effect of varying TPU content (0%, 20%, 40%, and 60%) on composite properties. Results show that TPU incorporation significantly improves damping properties, with diminishing improvements observed beyond 40% TPU content. The glass transition temperature of the TPU defines the lower application limit of the composites, while lofting behavior, also influenced by the TPU content, defines the upper application limit. These SMC‐TPU composites have potential in automotive and aerospace applications requiring vibration damping and robust performance. Future research should focus on optimizing manufacturing processes and exploring other thermoplastic matrices.

Laminated composites with thermoset matrices are already well established in major engineering fields like automotive and aviation. The primary drawbacks of such thermoset-based composites are the high cycle times required during manufacturing and their limited potential for recycling. Providing an alternative to thermoset-based composites, thermoplastic matrix materials gained more and more momentum by addressing these previously mentioned drawbacks. The preferred manufacturing technique for these materials employs fiber-reinforced thermoplastic tapes consolidated and formed together with a compatible substrate. The most critical aspect for all these applications is the stress or load transfer between the thermoplastic tapes and the substrate. If the interface is too weak and fails prior to the substrate or tape, a high amount of theoretical mechanical performance is lost. The presented research investigates the influence of variations in manufacturing parameters, within the industrially relevant process window, on the interface strength of the final composite. The investigated composite material consists of PPGF UD tapes consolidated on a PPGF mat substrate. In particular, the influence of the consolidation parameters of pressure, temperature, and time are of special interest. The results of this work reveal a 400% increase in the measured mean strain energy release rate upon increasing the consolidation time from 60 s to 120 s at a consolidation temperature of 230 °C and a pressure of one bar. In contrast to this, an increase in the consolidation pressure, at constant temperature and time, leads to a minor improvement in the G_C value of 20%. For testing and characterizing the corresponding interface properties, a mandrel peel testing setup was employed.