Experimental validation of auxetic stent designs: three-point bending of 3D printed Titanium prototypes.

Introduction: Numerical simulations have demonstrated the superior bending flexibility of auxetic stents compared to conventional stent designs for endovascular procedures. However, conventional stent manufacturing techniques struggle to produce complex auxetic stent designs, fueling the adoption of additive manufacturing techniques. Methods: In this study, we employed DMLS additive manufacturing to create Titanium Ti64 alloy stent prototypes based on auxetic stent designs investigated in a previous study. These prototypes were then subjected to experimental three-point bending tests. Result: The experimental results were replicated using a finite element model, which showed remarkable accuracy in predicting the bending flexibility of four auxetic stents and two conventional stents. Discussion: Although this validation study demonstrates the promising potential of DMLS and other additive manufacturing methods for fabricating auxetic stents, further optimization of current stent design limitations and the incorporation of post-processing techniques are essential to enhance the reliability of these additive manufacturing processes.

Computational Comparison of the Mechanical Behavior of Aortic Stent-Grafts Derived from Auxetic Unit Cells.

PURPOSE: Inappropriate stent-graft (SG) flexibility has been frequently associated with endovascular aortic repair (EVAR) complications such as endoleaks, kinks, and SG migration, especially in tortuous arteries. Stents derived from auxetic unit cells have shown some potential to address these issues as they offer an optimum trade-off between radial stiffness and bending flexibility. METHODS: In this study, we utilized an established finite element (FE)-based approach to replicate the mechanical response of a SG iliac limb derived from auxetic unit cells in a virtual tortuous iliac aneurysm using a combination of a 180° U-bend and intraluminal pressurization. This study aimed to compare the mechanical performance (flexibility and durability) of SG limbs derived from auxetic unit cells and two commercial SG limbs (Z-stented SG and circular-stented SG models) in a virtual tortuous iliac aneurysm. Maximal graft strain and maximum stress in stents were employed as criteria to estimate the durability of SGs, whereas the maximal luminal reduction rate and the bending stiffness were used to assess the flexibility of the SGs. RESULTS: SG limbs derived from auxetic unit cells demonstrated low luminal reduction (range 4-12%) with no kink, in contrast to Z-stented SG, which had a kink in its central area alongside a high luminal reduction (44%). CONCLUSIONS: SG limbs derived from auxetic unit cells show great promise for EVAR applications even at high angulations such as 180°, with acceptable levels of durability and flexibility.

Potential of auxetic designs in endovascular aortic repair: A computational study of their mechanical performance.

With the rising popularity of endovascular aortic repair (EVAR) for aortic aneurysms and dissections, there is a crucial need for investigating the delayed appearance of post-EVAR complications such as stent-graft kinking, fracture and migration respectively. These complications have been noted to be influenced by the radial stiffness and bending flexibility attributes of stent-grafts. Auxetic designs with negative Poisson's ratio offer interesting advantages such as enhanced fracture toughness, superior indentation resistance and adaptive stiffness in response to intricate morphology for stenting applications over conventional stent designs. The objective of this study is to propose different auxetic stent candidates and to compare their mechanical performance with two conventional stent candidates for endovascular applications using numerical simulation through crimp/crushing tests for their radial stiffness and three-point bending/kinking tests for their flexibility, respectively. The results demonstrate that the novel hybrid auxetic designs (CRE and CSTAR) possess the best trade-off between radial stiffness and bending flexibility characteristics among all candidates for stent-graft applications.