Roles of mortar volume in porosity, permeability and strength of pervious concrete

Pervious concrete is designed to be porous to allow permeation of water and air for combating the environmental and drainage problems arising from urbanization. However, despite extensive research, it is still not clear how best to design pervious concrete mixes to achieve good concurrent permeability-strength performance. In a previous study, the authors found that there is a necessity to distinguish between interconnected porosity and open porosity, and between unsubmerged permeability and submerged permeability. In this study, based on the thinking that fine aggregate may be added to reduce the paste volume provided the fine aggregate is fine enough to form a coherent mass with the paste, further research was conducted to develop the mortar type pervious concrete with reduced paste volume and investigate the roles of the mortar volume in porosity, permeability and strength. A new series of concrete mixes with varying mortar volume were tested and the results revealed that the interconnected porosity is the major factor determining the permeability while the open porosity and water/cement ratio are the major factors determining the strength. More importantly, the mortar volume plays a key role in each performance attribute.

Rapid conversion of highly porous borate glass microspheres into hydroxyapatite

This paper reports on the rapid development of porous hydroxyapatite (HA) microspheres with large external pores and fully interconnected porosity.

Two Different Strategies to Enhance Osseointegration in Porous Titanium: Inorganic Thermo-Chemical Treatment Versus Organic Coating by Peptide Adsorption

In this study, highly-interconnected porous titanium implants were produced by powder sintering with different porous diameters and open interconnectivity. The actual foams were produced using high cost technologies: Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD), Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD), and spark plasma sintering, and the porosity and/or interconnection was not optimized. The aim was to generate a bioactive surface on foams using two different strategies, based on inorganic thermo-chemical treatment and organic coating by peptide adsorption, to enhance osseointegration. Porosity was produced using NaCl as a space holder and polyethyleneglicol as a binder phase. Static and fatigue tests were performed in order to determine mechanical behaviors. Surface bioactivation was performed using a thermo-chemical treatment or by chemical adsorption with peptides. Osteoblast-like cells were cultured and cytotoxicity was measured. Bioactivated scaffolds and a control were implanted in the tibiae of rabbits. Histomorphometric evaluation was performed at 4 weeks after implantation. Interconnected porosity was 53% with an average diameter of 210 µm and an elastic modulus of around 1 GPa with good mechanical properties. The samples presented cell survival values close to 100% of viability. Newly formed bone was observed inside macropores, through interconnected porosity, and on the implant surface. Successful bone colonization of inner structure (40%) suggested good osteoconductive capability of the implant. Bioactivated foams showed better results than non-treated ones, suggesting both bioactivation strategies induce osteointegration capability.

Fabrication and assessment of mechanical properties of open cell porous regular interconnected metallic structure through rapid manufacturing route

Purpose The requirements of open cell porous regular interconnected metallic structure (OCPRIMS) in applications such as heat exchangers, sound absorption, fluid flow control, spark arresters and biocompatible inserts have been increased. As per available technology in the present scenario, only the metallic-based rapid prototyping (RP) machines can guarantee fabrication of OCPRIMS. Metal-based RP machines are capital-intensive. So, this study aims to develop a technique for fabrication of OCPRIMS economically using three-dimensional printing (3 DP) and pressureless sintering. Design/methodology/approach Three computer-aided design (CAD) models of varying designed interconnected porosity 73, 70 and 60 per cent were modeled to target metallic porosity 27, 30 and 40 per cent. The same were fabricated with ceramic-based powder using 3 DP. Thereafter, spherical bronze powder with average size of 200 µm was filled and sintered in pressureless manner under inert atmosphere of argon. After sintering, the specimens were cleaned with the help of pricking needles and high-pressure water. It flushed the burnt ceramic powder and allowed metallic portion to remain intact. The obtained specimens were inverse of CAD/3 DP models. The dimensional measurement at different stages of fabrication was carried out to find shrinkage. Sintered density and interconnected porosity were measured using Archimedes’ principle. The characterization of the fabricated specimens was done with the help of microstructure analysis, scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive x-ray analysis. Mechanical properties were assessed using compressive, tensile and Charpy tests. Findings The feasibility has been explored successfully to fabricate OCPRIMS of phosphor bronze using 3 DP and pressureless sintering process. Interconnected porosity of 51.45, 56.45, 64.09 per cent of final metallic specimens has been observed against the targeted 27, 30 and 40 per cent. The increase in pore dimensions up to 19.13 per cent and shrinkage up to 5.44 per cent of outer dimensions were found to be the main causes of increase in interconnected porosity level. The characterization results exhibit the behavior of pressureless sintering process and stability of the fabricated specimens. Mechanical properties of fabricated structures are found to be dependent on porosity and strut diameter. Compressive and tensile strength decrease with the increase in porosity for strut diameter less than 1 mm, whereas they increase with the increase in strut diameter of 1 mm or more. A similar trend has been observed for impact strength also. Originality/value This paper explores the feasibility to fabricate OCPRIMS economically using 3 DP and pressureless sintering process.