Effect of Cell Geometry on the Mechanical Properties of 3D Voronoi Tessellation

Abstract

Irregular 3D biological scaffolds have been widely observed in nature. Therefore, in the current work, new designs are proposed for lightweight 3D scaffolds based on Voronoi tessellation with high porosity. The proposed designs are inspired by nature, which has undoubtedly proven to be the best designer. Thus, the Rhinoceros 7/Grasshopper software was used to design three geometric models for both normal and elongated Voronoi structures: homogeneous, gradient I, and gradient II. Then, stereolithography (SLA) additive manufacturing was utilized to fabricate biopolymeric materials. Finally, a compression test was carried out to study and compare the mechanical properties of the designed samples. For the gradient I and II cylinders, elongated Voronoi structures show superior mechanical properties and energy absorption compared to normal Voronoi designs. Hence, these designs are promising topologies for future applications.

Two conjectures on 3D Voronoi structures: a toolkit with biomedical case studies

“…The emergence of additive manufacturing has extended the application of Voronoi tessellation from mere analysis to the generation of 3D scaffolds, i.e., Voronoi structures with mesh wrapped around the wireframes. Voronoi scaffolds have been 3D printed as supports for hollow objects 19 , interlocking architecture 20 , optimal lightweight structures [21][22][23] , patient specific bone scaffolds 24,25 , for surgical practice 26 , for patient education of upcoming procedures 27 , regenerative medicine and wound healing techniques 28 , implantable drug delivery 29 and T-cell culturing environments 14 .…”