Forging of metallic foams to reproduce biomechanical components

In particular, the deforming behaviour of a metallic foam and the development of density gradients were investigated through a series of experimental forging tests in order to produce a selected portion of a hip prosthesis. This type of replacement for human bone was chosen as object of study due to its elevated commercial demand and its particularly complex 3D shape. A commercial finite element code (Deform 3D®), with an accurate rheology of the material, was utilized to model the foam behaviour during the forging process. The code for the rheology of the material is considered using a model valid for porous materials which also includes a measure of local density. The usefulness of the model used was verified by the comparison of the predicted results (the force necessary for the completion of the forging process and the final shape obtained) and the experimental evidence.