Design and optimization of poly lactic acid/bioglass composite screw for orthopedic applications

However, problems such as osteoporosis due to high elasticity of metals relative to bones, and local infections and systemic problems caused by releasing metallic ions have motivated research on replacing metallic screws with non metallic ones. In this study, the composite containing poly-l-lactic acid and bioactive glass fibers were considered for the design of the screw using ABAQUS software (V6.11). The elastic constants were first estimated in micro analysis then transferred to macro analysis for modeling in two-layer situations composed of unidirectional fibers and random fibers (UD/R) and also for modeling in three-layer situations composed of unidirectional fibers, fibers with an angle of ±20 degree in relation to force vector, and random fibers (UD /±20/R) with various percentages of layer thickness. Results show that in the analysis with %65 layers of unidirectional fibers, %10 layers by fibers with an angle of ±20 degree, and %25 of layers with random fibers, flexural modulus, flexural strength, and longitudinal elasticity coefficient were estimated about 22.7 GPa, 347 MPa, and 24.8 GPa respectively, the last one being slightly higher than that of cortical bone. Considering similar results for cortical bones, our designed composite screws are robust enough to replace metal screws for repairing orthopedic fractures.