US3852045A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Void metal composite material and method
Assignee: Battelle Memorial Institute Inc
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Filing: 1972-08-14
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Granted: 1974-12-03
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Expires: 1992-08-14
Abstract
Abstract A porous metallic material having controlled patterns of interconnected voids specifically adapted for tissue ingrowth application. The material can be produced having interconnected voids of spherical or other desired shape, as well as oriented voids arranged in a pre-selected spatial pattern. The method of producing the porous structure involves the arrangement of solid expendable void former within a receiving cavity of a mold or form in a pattern corresponding to the size, shape and spatial pattern of the voids desired in the final matrix. Metallic powder formed of a biocompatible material is packed about the expendable void former and the composite material is subjected to high energy rate forming pressures to densify its structure. The expendable void former is then removed and the remaining matrix of metal is sintered to further strengthen the web structure that remains after removal of the void former.
Inventors
- 👤 K Wheeler
- 👤 K Sump
- 👤 M Karagianes
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-23 00:17
CPC Classifications
B; B22; B22F; B22F5/00; B22F5/10; A; A61; A61F; A61F2/00; A61F2/02; A61F2/28; B22F3/00; B22F3/10; B22F3/11; B22F3/1121; B22F3/1134; A61F2/30; A61F2/3094; A61F2002/30968; A61F2002/30978; B22F2998/00; Y; Y10; Y10T; Y10T428/00; Y10T428/12; Y10T428/12014; Y10T428/12028; Y10T428/12063; Y10T428/12153; Y10T428/1216
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 14
Claim 1
Independent Claim
191 words
A METHOD OF MAKING A POROUS MATRIX STRUCTURE HAVING VOIDS THEREIN FOR TISSUE INGROWTH APPLICATIONS, COMPRISING: ARRANGING A PLURALITY OF ELEMENTS OF AN EXPENDABLE VOID FORMER OF A SOLID SUBSTANCE WITHIN A FORM CAVITY, THE ELEMENTS BEING ARRANGED WITHIN THE FORM CAVITY IN A PATTERN CORRESPONDING TO THE SIZE, SHAPE AND SPATIAL PATTERN OF THE VOIDS DESIRED IN THE FINAL MATRIX; PACKING A FINE POWDER OF BIOCOMPATIBLE METALLIC PARTICLES INTO THE FORM CAVITY ABOUT THE ELEMENTS OF THE EXPENDABLE VOID FORMER TO COMPLETE FILLING OF THE FORM CAVITY WITH A COMPOSITE MATERIAL COMPRISING THE EXPENDABLE VOID FORMER AND METALLIC PARTICLES; SUBJECTING THE COMPOSITE MATERIAL TO A HIGH ENERGY RATE FORMING PROCESS TO CAUSE THE DENSITY OF THE RESULTING DENSIFIED COMPOSITE MATERIAL TO APPROACH ITS THERORETICAL DENSITY AND FORM A DENSIFIED MATRIX OF METALLIC PARTICLES HAVING INITIAL BONDS BETWEEN THE METALLIC PARTICLES; REMOVING THE EXPENDABLE VOID FORMER WITHOUT DISRUPTION OF THE DENSIFIED MATRIX OF METALLIC PARTICLES; AND SUBSEQUENTLY SINTERING THE MATRIX OF METALLIC PARTICLES SO AS TO CAUSE THE METALLIC PARTICLES TO FURTHER BOND AND THEREBY FORM A SOLID METAL MATRIX ABOUT THE VOIDS LEFT BY REMOVAL OF THE EXPENDABLE VOID FORMER.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
191 words
A METHOD OF MAKING A POROUS MATRIX STRUCTURE HAVING VOIDS THEREIN FOR TISSUE INGROWTH APPLICATIONS, COMPRISING: ARRANGING A PLURALITY OF ELEMENTS OF AN EXPENDABLE VOID FORMER OF A SOLID SUBSTANCE WITHIN A FORM CAVITY, THE ELEMENTS BEING ARRANGED WITHIN THE FORM CAVITY IN A PATTERN CORRESPONDING TO THE SIZE, SHAPE AND SPATIAL PATTERN OF THE VOIDS DESIRED IN THE FINAL MATRIX; PACKING A FINE POWDER OF BIOCOMPATIBLE METALLIC PARTICLES INTO THE FORM CAVITY ABOUT THE ELEMENTS OF THE EXPENDABLE VOID FORMER TO COMPLETE FILLING OF THE FORM CAVITY WITH A COMPOSITE MATERIAL COMPRISING THE EXPENDABLE VOID FORMER AND METALLIC PARTICLES; SUBJECTING THE COMPOSITE MATERIAL TO A HIGH ENERGY RATE FORMING PROCESS TO CAUSE THE DENSITY OF THE RESULTING DENSIFIED COMPOSITE MATERIAL TO APPROACH ITS THERORETICAL DENSITY AND FORM A DENSIFIED MATRIX OF METALLIC PARTICLES HAVING INITIAL BONDS BETWEEN THE METALLIC PARTICLES; REMOVING THE EXPENDABLE VOID FORMER WITHOUT DISRUPTION OF THE DENSIFIED MATRIX OF METALLIC PARTICLES; AND SUBSEQUENTLY SINTERING THE MATRIX OF METALLIC PARTICLES SO AS TO CAUSE THE METALLIC PARTICLES TO FURTHER BOND AND THEREBY FORM A SOLID METAL MATRIX ABOUT THE VOIDS LEFT BY REMOVAL OF THE EXPENDABLE VOID FORMER.
Claim 3
Independent Claim
228 words
A method for constructing a high strength biocompatible bone implant element having interconnected voids of a desired size and pattern to enable live bone tissue to progressively grow into and through the voids to integrally interconnect the implant element with a bone structure comprising: arranging a plurality of solid expendable void former elements of a selected size within a form cavity and in a selected spatial pattern corresponding to the desired size and pattern of the interconnected voids; packing a fine powder of biocompatible metallic particles into the form cavity about the void former elements to fill the form cavity with a composite material of the expendable void former and metallic particles; subjecting the composite material to a high energy rate forming process to cause the density of the resulting densified composite material to approach the theoretical density and form a densified metallic structure of metallic particles having initial bonds between the metallic particles; removing the expendable void former elements without disruption of the densified metallic structure of metallic particles to form the interconnected voids of the desired size and pattern within the densified metallic structure suitable for enabling the live bone tissue to grow into and through the voids in the densified metallic structure; and subsequently sintering the densified metallic structure so as to cause the metallic particles to further bond to form the bone implant element.
Claim 4
Independent Claim
228 words
A method for constructing a high strength biocompatible bone implant element having interconnected voids of a desired size and pattern to enable live bone tissue to progressively grow into and through the voids to integrally interconnect the implant element with a bone structure comprising: arranging a plurality of solid expendable void former elements of a selected size within a form cavity and in a selected spatial pattern corresponding to the desired size and pattern of the interconnected voids; packing a fine powder of biocompatible metallic particles into the form cavity about the void former elements to fill the form cavity with a composite material of the expendable void former and metallic particles; subjecting the composite material to a high energy rate forming process to cause the density of the resulting densified composite material to approach the theoretical density and form a densified metallic structure of metallic particles having initial bonds between the metallic particles; removing the expendable void former elements without disruption of the densified metallic structure of metallic particles to form the interconnected voids of the desired size and pattern within the densified metallic structure suitable for enabling the live bone tissue to grow into and through the voids in the densified metallic structure; and subsequently sintering the densified metallic structure so as to cause the metallic particles to further bond to form the bone implant element.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
59 words
The method set out in claim 2 wherein removal of the expendable void former is accomplished by heating the densified composite material to a temperature above the vaporizing temperature of the expendable void former and below the melting point of the matrix of metallic particles under vacuum for a time sufficient to remove the expendable void former by vaporization.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
25 words
A method as set out in claim 2 further comprising the step of machining the densified composite material prior to removal of the void former.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
21 words
A method as set out in claim 2 further comprising the step of machining the metallic material after the sintering step.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
19 words
A method as set out in claim 2 wherein the expendable void former comprises solid spheres of preselected diameter.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
17 words
A method as set out in claim 2 wherein the expendable void former comprises an open-mesh screen.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
20 words
A method as set out in claim 2 wherein the biocompatible metallic material is titanium, titanium alloy, or stainless steel.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
22 words
A method as set out in claim 2 wherein the biocompatible metallic material is titanium, Ti-6Al-4V alloy or 300 series stainless steel.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
18 words
A method as set out in claim 2 wherein the expendable void former is magnesium, brass or copper.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
237 words
A biocompatible bone implant element having a high strength densified sintered metallic structure with a network of interconnected voids of a desired size and pattern formed therein to enable live bone tissue to progressively grow into and through the interconnected voids to integrally interconnect the implant element and a bone structure; in which the implant element is formed by (a) arranging a plurality of solid expendable void former elements of a selected size in a selected spatial pattern within a form cavity in which the selected size and Spatial pattern of the former elements corresponds to the desired size and pattern of the interconnected voids; (b) packing a fine powder of biocompatible metallic particles into the form cavity about the void former elements to fill the form cavity with a composite material of the expendable void former and metallic particles; (c) subjecting the composite material to a high energy rate forming process to cause the density of the resulting densified composite material to approach the theoretical density and form a densified metallic structure of metallic particles having initial bonds between the metallic particles; (d) removing the expendable void former elements without disruption of the densified metallic structure of metallic particles to form the interconnected voids of the desired size and pattern within the densified metallic structure; and (e) subsequently sintering the densified structure to further bond the metallic particles together to form the high strength sintered structure.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
237 words
A biocompatible bone implant element having a high strength densified sintered metallic structure with a network of interconnected voids of a desired size and pattern formed therein to enable live bone tissue to progressively grow into and through the interconnected voids to integrally interconnect the implant element and a bone structure; in which the implant element is formed by (a) arranging a plurality of solid expendable void former elements of a selected size in a selected spatial pattern within a form cavity in which the selected size and Spatial pattern of the former elements corresponds to the desired size and pattern of the interconnected voids; (b) packing a fine powder of biocompatible metallic particles into the form cavity about the void former elements to fill the form cavity with a composite material of the expendable void former and metallic particles; (c) subjecting the composite material to a high energy rate forming process to cause the density of the resulting densified composite material to approach the theoretical density and form a densified metallic structure of metallic particles having initial bonds between the metallic particles; (d) removing the expendable void former elements without disruption of the densified metallic structure of metallic particles to form the interconnected voids of the desired size and pattern within the densified metallic structure; and (e) subsequently sintering the densified structure to further bond the metallic particles together to form the high strength sintered structure.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1977-12-02 | 1978-06-03 | 1978-12-03 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1981-12-02 | 1982-06-03 | 1982-12-03 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1985-12-02 | 1986-06-03 | 1986-12-03 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |