Bone-related defects that cannot heal without significant surgical intervention represent a significant challenge in the orthopedic field. The use of implants for these critical-sized bone defects is being explored to address the limitations of autograft and allograft options. Three-dimensional cellular structures, or bone scaffolds, provide mechanical support and promote bone tissue formation by acting as a template for bone growth. Stress shielding in bones is the reduction in bone density caused by the difference in stiffness between the scaffold and the surrounding bone tissue. This study aimed to reduce the stress shielding and introduce a cellular metal structure to replace defected bone by designing and producing a numerically optimized bone scaffold with an elastic modulus of 15 GPa, which matches the human’s cortical bone modulus. Cubic cell and diagonal cell designs were explored. Strut and cell dimensions were numerically optimized to achieve the desired structural modulus. The resulting scaffold designs were produced from stainless steel using laser powder bed fusion (LPBF). Finite element analysis (FEA) models were validated through compression testing of the printed scaffold designs. The structural configuration of the scaffolds was characterized with scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Cellular struts were found to have minimal internal porosity and rough surfaces. Strut dimensions of the printed scaffolds were found to have variations with the optimized computer-aided design (CAD) models. The experimental results, as expected, were slightly less than FEA results due to structural relative density variations in the scaffolds. Failure of the structures was stretch-dominated for the cubic scaffold and bending-dominated for the diagonal scaffold. The torsional and bending stiffnesses were numerically evaluated and showed higher bending and torsional moduli for the diagonal scaffold. The study successfully contributed to minimizing stress shielding in bone tissue engineering. The study also produced an innovative metal cellular structure that can replace large bone segments anywhere in the human body.

The low-cycle fatigue (LCF) behavior of steel in energy-dissipating seismic connections is an important consideration, especially in light of the interest in performance-based seismic design. In this study, the LCF performance of seven steel bar types (AISI 8620, 1018, 1045, 1117, 1215, 4140 and ASTM A36 steel) was experimentally examined and compared. The bar specimens were subjected to sinusoidal strains of constant amplitude from zero to peak strains of 4%, 6%, or 8%. Equations that relate the applied strain amplitudes with the number of cycles to failure were developed and compared. In addition, relationships for calculating the total dissipated energy corresponding to the applied strain amplitude were proposed based on the experimental results. This study demonstrated that, in general, the LCF resistance of AISI 1045 steel type outperformed the other steel materials at a strain amplitude of ±2%. However, at ±3 and ±4% strain amplitudes, the LCF lives of ASTM A36 and AISI 1117 bars outperforme...

Purpose: Heavy hex structural bolts have been used in a wide range of steel structures for many years. However, these structures remain susceptible to fire damage. Conducting fire experiments on full-scale steel structures is costly and requires specialized equipment. The main purpose of this research is to test, analyze and predict the behavior of ASTM A325 bolts under tension loading in simulated fire conditions and develop a reliable finite element model that can predict the response of similar bolts without the need for repeated testing.Design/methodology/approach: The experimental work was conducted at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where an electric furnace was custom-built to test a bolted specimen in tension under elevated temperatures. A transient-state testing method was adopted to perform a group of tests on 12.7 mm (½”) – diameter A325 bolts. The tests were divided into two groups: the first one was used to calibrate the equipment and choose a final testing arrangement and the second group, consisting of four identical tests, was used to validate a finite element model.Findings: The temperature-displacement and load-displacement response was recorded. The tested bolts exhibited a ductile fracture in which a cup-and-cone shaped failure surface was formed in the threaded section at the root of the nut. ASTM A325 bolts are widely used by engineers in building and bridge construction, the results of this research enable engineers to determine the behavior and strength of ASTM A325 bolts when such bolts when exposed to fire event.Research limitations/implications: Structural bolts are used to connect structural members, and they are part of structural assembly. To study the behavior of the bolts, the bolts only were investigated in a fire simulated in a furnace. The bolts studied were not part of a structural assembly.Practical implications: The results of this study enable engineers to evaluate the condition of ASTM A325 bolts when subjected to fire loading.Originality value: Tests were conducted at the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee’s structures laboratory to study the effect of fire on an ASTM A325 bolts. Many tests under fire loading have been performed by researchers on different components of steel structures, this study focuses on studying the behavior of ASTM A325 bolts which are widely used in the USA.

The availability of additive manufacturing enables the fabrication of cellular bone tissue engineering scaffolds with a wide range of structural and architectural possibilities. The purpose of bone tissue engineering scaffolds is to repair critical size bone defects due to extreme traumas, tumors, or infections. This research study presented the experimental validation and evaluation of the bending properties of optimized bone scaffolds with an elastic modulus that is equivalent to the young’s modulus of the cortical bone. The specimens were manufactured using laser powder bed fusion technology. The morphological properties of the manufactured specimens were evaluated using both dry weighing and Archimedes techniques, and minor variations in the relative densities were observed in comparison with the computer-aided design files. The bending modulus of the cubic and diagonal scaffolds were experimentally investigated using a three-point bending test, and the results were found to agree with the numerical findings. A higher bending modulus was observed in the diagonal scaffold design. The diagonal scaffold was substantially tougher, with considerably higher energy absorption before fracture. The shear modulus of the diagonal scaffold was observed to be significantly higher than the cubic scaffold. Due to bending, the pores at the top side of the diagonal scaffold were heavily compressed compared to the cubic scaffold due to the extensive plastic deformation occurring in diagonal scaffolds and the rapid fracture of struts in the tension side of the cubic scaffold. The failure in struts in tension showed signs of ductility as necking was observed in fractured struts. Moreover, the fractured surface was observed to be rough and dull as opposed to being smooth and bright like in brittle fractures. Dimple fracture was observed using scanning electron microscopy as a result of microvoids emerging in places of high localized plastic deformation. Finally, a comparison of the mechanical properties of the studied BTE scaffolds with the cortical bone properties under longitudinal and transverse loading was investigated. In conclusion, we showed the capabilities of finite element analysis and additive manufacturing in designing and manufacturing promising scaffold designs that can replace bone segments in the human body.

Purpose: Nuts and bolts have been used as fasteners of steel structures for many years. However, these structures remain susceptible to fire damage. While conducting fire experiments on steel structures is sometimes necessary, to better understand their behavior, such experiments remain costly and require specialized equipment and testing facilities. This paper aims to present a highly accurate three-dimensional (3D) finite element (FE) model of ASTM A325 bolt subjected to tension loading under simulated fire conditions. The FE model is compared to the results of experimental testing for verification purposes and is proven to predict the response of similar bolts up to certain temperatures without the need for repeated testing. Design/methodology/approach: A parametric 3D FE model simulating tested specimens was constructed in the ANSYS Workbench environment. The model included the intricate details of the bolt and nut threads, as well as all the other components of the specimens. A pretension load, a tension force and a heat profile were applied to the model, and a nonlinear analysis was performed to simulate the experiments. Findings: The results of the FE model were in good agreement with the experimental results, deviations of results between experimental and FE results were within acceptable range. This should allow studying the behavior of structural bolts without the need for expensive testing. Originality/value: Detailed 3D FE models have been created by the authors have been created to study the behavior of structural bolts and compared with experiments conducted by the authors.