Computational investigation of a 3D-printed osteochondral interface scaffold with comprehensive interfacial mechanical properties

Osteoarthritis is a highly prevalent rheumatic musculoskeletal disorder that usually ends up with physiological malfunction and psychological hurt. Although many tissue engineering approaches have been proposed to provide a prospective strategy for tissue regeneration purposes, the improper mechanical properties of proposed scaffolds are unable to satisfy mechanical demands within the joint fully. This paper presents computational investigation and structural design for creating the osteochondral interface scaffold. A finite element method (FEM) based mechanics simulation model was proposed to evaluate the effect of load-bearing forces on various scaffolds, by which the stress distribution in the biomimetic osteochondral interface can be acquired. Several structures of osteochondral interface scaffolds were fabricated and demonstrated a controllable mechanical property. The proposed biomimetic osteochondral interface manifested comprehensive mechanical properties, of which the bonding strength, compressive strength, and shear strength respectively reached 128 kPa, 277 kPa, and 276 kPa.