On the Bio-Mechanical Properties of a Dual-Porous Osteochondral Scaffold
This work is concerned with the finite element modeling of a dual-porous scaffold including both fine and coarse pores. The layer with coarse pores is suitable for bone in vivo ingrowth and the finer pore layer is appropriate for in vitro cartilage culturing. Such scaffolds can be extensively used for repairing of osteochondral defects. The bio-mechanical properties of the proposed scaffold, including apparent stiffness and strain-based capability of the cell ingrowth, are identified using a 3D Finite Element Model. Moreover, to study the effect of the second layer on the strength of the whole scaffold, the stiffness of the dual and single-porous scaffolds was compared. The result of this study shows that the stiffness decreases by adding the second layer to a single-porous scaffold. Additionally, principal strain histograms of the single and the dual-porous scaffolds are compared to assess the effect of added layer on the capability for cell ingrowth stimulation of the whole structure. According to the results, the dual-porous scaffold provides more homogeneous distribution but a smaller amount of micro-strains which may cause different cell-growth behavior.