A finite element analysis of tubular, diamond-shaped stent grafts under representative cyclic loading conditions for abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) repair is presented. Commercial software was employed to study the mechanical behavior and fatigue performance of different materials found in commercially available stent-graft systems. Specifically, the effects of crimping, deployment, and cyclic...

When NiTi powder compacts containing Nb wires are heated above 1 170 8C, each Nb wire reacts with adjacent NiTi powders to form a eutectic liquid which wicks into the space between the remaining NiTi powders. This creates a macropore at the location of the Nb wire while eliminating the microporosity between NiTi powders which is filled with a NiTi/Nb eutectic phase after solidification. This no...

Background and aims. This study aimed to investigate release of nickel ion from three types of nickel-titanium-based wires in the as-received state and after immersion in a simulated oral environment. Materials and methods. Forty specimens from each of the single-strand NiTi (Rematitan "Lite"), multi-strand NiTi (SPEED Supercable) and Copper NiTi (Damon Copper NiTi) were selected. Twenty specim...

Near-stoichiometric NiTi with up to 18% closed porosity was produced by expansion at 1200 degrees C of argon-filled pores trapped by powder metallurgy within a NiTi billet. When optimally heat-treated, NiTi with 6-16% porosity exhibits superelasticity, with recoverable compressive strains up to 6% at a maximum compressive stress up to 1700 MPa. The apparent Young's modulus of NiTi with 16% poro...

Porous NiTi was produced by sintering pre-alloyed NiTi powders (with small Ni addition to form Ni-rich composition) with NaCl powders which are removed to create 40-60 vol.% macropores which are open to the surface, blocky in shape, and 100-400 lm in size. The microporosity present between the NiTi powders is infiltrated by an in situ created NiTi-Nb eutectic liquid which, after solidification,...

The shape memory effect and superelastic properties of NiTi (or Nitinol, a nickel-titanium alloy) have already attracted much attention for various biomedical applications (such as vascular stents, orthodontic wires, orthopedic implants, etc). However, for vascular stents, conventional approaches have required coating NiTi with anti-thrombogenic or antiinflammatory drug-eluting polymers which a...

Microstructural evolution of NiTi shape memory alloy (SMA) with a nominal composition of Ni50.9Ti49.1 (at %) is investigated on the basis of heat treatment and severe plastic deformation (SPD). As for as-rolled NiTi SMA samples subjected to aging, plenty of R phases appear in the austenite matrix. In terms of as-rolled NiTi SMA samples undergoing solution treatment and aging, Ni4Ti3 precipitate...

Nanocrystalline TiN/NiTi thin films have been grown on silicon substrate by dc magnetron sputtering to improve the corrosion and mechanical properties of NiTi based shape memory alloys without sacrificing the phase transformation effect. Interestingly, the preferential orientation of the TiN films was observed to change from (1 1 1) to (2 0 0) with change in nature of sputtering gas from 70% Ar...

A process was developed for fabricating arrays of micro-channels in shape-memory NiTi for bone implant applications, with a tailorable internal architecture expected to improve biomechanical compatibility and osseointegration. Ni-51.4 at.% Ti with 24-34 vol.% porosity was fabricated by electrochemical dissolution of parallel layers of steel wire meshes embedded within a NiTi matrix during hot p...