Bone regeneration is of great importance worldwide, because of various bone diseases, such as infections, tumors, and resultant fracture, birth defects, and bone loss due to trauma, explosion, or accident. Bone regeneration can be achieved by several materials and templates manufactured through various fabrication techniques. Uses of different materials and scaffold fabrication techniques have been explored over the past 20 years. In this research, polyetheretherketone (PEEK) was used to fabricate highly porous bionanocomposite foams for bone scaffolding. Melt casting and salt porogen (200–500 µm size) leaching methods were adapted to create an adequate pore size and the necessary percent of porosity, because pore size plays a vital role in cell implantation and growth. Porosity (75% and 85%) of the prepared scaffolds was adjusted by changing salt concentrations in the PEEK powder. Hydroxyapatite (HA) and carbon particles were used to improve cell attachments and interactions with the porous PEEK and to increase the mechanical properties of the scaffold materials. Carbon fiber (CF) and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were uniformly dispersed into the PEEK powder before melt casting to enhance the mechanical properties and to observe the influence of the carbon particles on the properties of PEEK bionanocomposite foam. Compression test results of the fabricated bionanocomposites showed that HA and carbon particles are the potential filler materials for the enhancement of bionanocomposite mechanical properties. About 186% enhancement of compression modulus and 43% enhancement of yield strength were observed while incorporating only 0.5 wt% of CNTs into PEEK/HA bionanocomposites having 75% porosity, compared to PEEK/HA 20 wt% bionanocomposites. Micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) test results reveal that pore size and interconnectivity of the nanocomposite foams are in order and within the designed sizes. Mechanical tests proved that PEEK bionanocomposite foam has the potential for use in bone scaffolding and other biomedical applications.
The use of fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) composites in the aircraft and automotive industries exponentially. Reinforced fibers which are abrasive in nature make it hard to machine by the traditional machining. Dissipation of heat into workpiece which in turn results in enhanced cutting tool wear and damage to the workpiece is the common problems faced in traditional machining of FRPs. Nontraditional machining is favorable to reduce these issues. Abrasive waterjet machining (AWJM) is one of the best choices for machining FRPs. Development in AWJM of FRPs and the current research in this field will be discussed in details. Machining process of FRPs, quality dependents such as surface finish and variable cutting parameters will be addressed. One of main issues in AWJM noise due to high flow rate of water jet will be addressed. The importance of human safety aspects when AWJM is employed will be highlighted. Limitations and challenges in AWJM are presented elaborately.
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