Abstract
Auxetic materials, characterized by a negative Poisson's ratio (NPR), exhibit unique biomechanical properties, making them promising candidates for various biomedical applications, particularly in hip prosthetics. Traditional auxetic geometries, while beneficial in terms of flexibility and energy absorption, often face challenges related to strength and manufacturability, especially when considering the constraints of 3D printing technologies. Thus, novel hybrid auxetic geometries were created through the combination of existing re-entrant, chiral, and star-shaped structures. Using Finite Element Analysis (FEA), key factors were evaluated such as the effective Young’s Modulus, Poisson’s Ratio, and maximum displacement. The Apriori Algorithm was then employed to identify the most critical factors influencing performance. Based on the weighted importance of these factors, we determined that the re-entrant/star hybrid design was optimal under standard conditions, outperforming the traditional reentrant design by 38.88% in performance under 10,000 N loads. This improvement enhances the durability, flexibility, and strength of hip prosthetics, with findings potentially applicable to other prosthetic joints.