FORMABILITY OF POROUS TANTALUM SHEET METAL

摘要

+Over the past ten years, a novel cellular solid, Trabecular Metal~R (TM~R), has been developed for use in the orthopedics industry as an ingrowth scaffold. Manufactured using chemical vapor deposition (CVD) on top of a graphite foam substrate, this material has a regular matrix of interconnecting pores, high strength, and high porosity. In this study, the formability of TM~R was evaluated using a camera-based system for measuring surface strains, since the conventional approach of printing or etching gridded patterns was not feasible. A forming-limit diagram was then obtained using specially fabricated 1.65 mm thick sheets. No lubricant was used due to the cleanliness requirements for orthopedic implants.