Structural topology optimization for generative design of personalized aneurysm implants: Design, additive manufacturing, and experimental validation

In this paper, the 3D structural topology optimization is performed to create an innovative design of the aneurysm implant. The topology optimization scheme is utilized to optimize the geometry of the implant structure to satisfy both the fluidic and the structural design objectives. During the topology optimization process, an artificial density is used as the index to separate the material region from the void region. The goal of the implant structure design is expected to create a “fluid diode” effect while to possess enough stiffness to withstand the outside pressure. The final design is printed by additive manufacturing to validate the performance. Both numerical verification and experimental validation proved the effectiveness of the proposed implant structure under the current problem settings. This work showed the potential of topology optimization as a powerful tool in producing innovative high-performance implant designs for aneurysm treatments, which will pave the way for personalized medical implants.