Boris Piotrowski

Interaction of bone-dental implant with new ultra low modulus alloy using a numerical approach

Although mechanical stress is known as being a significant factor in bone remodeling, most implants are still made using materials that have a higher elastic stiffness than that of bones. Load transfer between the implant and the surrounding bones is much detrimental, and osteoporosis is often a consequence of such mechanical mismatch. The concept of mechanical biocompatibility has now been considered for more than a decade. However, it is limited by the choice of materials, mainly Ti-based alloys whose elastic properties are still too far from cortical bone. We have suggested using a bulk material in relation with the development of a new beta titanium-based alloy. Titanium is a much suitable biocompatible metal, and beta-titanium alloys such as metastable TiNb exhibit a very low apparent elastic modulus related to the presence of an orthorhombic martensite. The purpose of the present work has been to investigate the interaction that occurs between the dental implants and the cortical bone. 3D finite element models have been adopted to analyze the behavior of the bone-implant system depending on the elastic properties of the implant, different types of implant geometry, friction force, and loading condition. The geometry of the bone has been adopted from a mandibular incisor and the surrounding bone. Occlusal static forces have been applied to the implants, and their effects on the bone-metal implant interface region have been assessed and compared with a cortical bone/bone implant configuration. This work has shown that the low modulus implant induces a stress distribution closer to the actual physiological phenomenon, together with a better stress jump along the bone implant interface, regardless of the implant design.

A finite-element based numerical tool for Ni47Ti44Nb9 SMA structures design application to tightening rings

This paper deals with the design of Ni47Ti44Nb9 shape memory alloy (SMA) tightening components. The tightening of an SMA ring on an elastic pipe is analyzed using the finite element code ABAQUS® and a UMAT subroutine developed by the authors to model the specific behavior of Ni47Ti44Nb9 SMA. Main features of the thermomechanical model implemented in this UMAT routine are briefly recalled. Numerical predictions are validated using experimental tightening pressures obtained on a test bed developed in this work. The validation strategy is documented and the results for different ring thicknesses are presented. This finite element tool is then applied to a parametric study of the influence of ridges on the tightening pressure. Eventually, geometrical defects like out of roundness are considered.

Numerical tool for SMA material simulation: application to composite structure design

Composite materials based on shape memory alloys (SMA) have received growing attention over these last few years. In this paper, two particular morphologies of composites are studied. The first one is an SMA/elastomer composite in which a snake-like wire NiTi SMA is embedded into an elastomer ribbon. The second one is a commercial Ni47Ti44Nb9 which presents elastic–plastic inclusions in an NiTi SMA matrix. In both cases, the design of such composites required the development of an SMA design tool, based on a macroscopic 3D constitutive law for NiTi alloys. Two different strategies are then applied to compute these composite behaviors. For the SMA/elastomer composite, the macroscopic behavior law is implemented in commercial FEM software, and for the Ni47Ti44Nb9 a scale transition approach based on the Mori–Tanaka scheme is developed. In both cases, simulations are compared to experimental data.

Numerical Tool Based on Finite Element Method for SMA Structures Design

A macroscopic model for SMA materials is proposed. Thermodynamics considerations, strain mecanisms and numerical implementation in a commercial code are presented here. This numerical tool is used to design structures, such elastomer/SMA composites ribbons, and by adding scale transition schemes, this model is able to predict the behavior of allied SMA, like commercial Ni47 Ti44 Nb9 . Simulations in these two cases are compared to experimental datas.Copyright

Mechanical properties of a nanoporous membrane used in implantable medical devices. Correlation between experimental characterization and 2D numerical simulation

Nanoporous membranes are used for the elaboration of implantable medical devices. In order to guaranty their integrity after implantation in a patient body, it is necessary to characterize the microstructure and the mechanical behavior of such membranes. They present randomly distributed pores around 1µm in diameter at the surface. X-ray nanotomography permits to get the geometry of the pores through the thickness with a reduction of the diameter in the core. A multiscale study is done to characterize the membranes: macroscopic tensile tests permit to get the behavior law of the non porous material and in situ tensile tests are carried on in a Scanning Electron Microscope in order to observe the evolution of pores and cracks during loading. A 2D Finite Element Model is also developed in parallel. The confrontation between experiments and numerical simulations permit to validate the accuracy of the model. The latter is then used to simulate several types of loadings considering various pore distributions and sizes.

Identification and interpretation of material parameters of a shape memory alloy (SMA) model

The thermomechanical behavior of Shape Memory Alloys (SMAs) is described by many micromechanical and phenomenological models. The first ones have material parameters whose physical meaning is based on the crystallography of the phase transformation related to the studied alloy. In contrast, phenomenological models often have material parameters whose physical meaning is not obvious and that makes them difficult to identify, some of which are based on mathematical considerations. In this paper, we propose to use the formulation of the phenomenological model of Chemisky et al., and to consider the particular case of a superelastic SMA. In this case, the constitutive equation should be easily expressed analytically through the strain tensor as a function of applied load direction and material parameters. The behavior is then characterized by a complete and proportional loading. This analytical model contains 8 material parameters, 2 related to the elasticity and 6 to the phase transformation. Based on several isothermal tensile tests at various temperatures, material parameters of this model are identified using the Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm and an analytical calculation of the sensitivity matrix. Their physical meaning and their influence on the thermomechanical behavior of the alloy studied are highlighted and discussed.

Determination of the characteristic parameters of tension-compression asymmetry of Shape Memory Alloys using full-field measurements

In this work, a method for the identification of the transformation surface of Shape Memory Alloys based on full field measurements is presented. An inverse method coupled with a gradient-based algorithm has been developed to determine the characteristic parameters of the transformation surface. The constitutive equations of the chosen model that capture the macroscopic behavior of Shape Memory Alloys are first presented. The material parameters, to be identified, that are characteristic of the tension-compression asymmetry of the alloy are detailed. The identification algorithm, based on full field measurements obtained by Digital Image Correlation (DIC) and numerical simulation by Finite Element Analysis are introduced. The identification algorithm is validated using a numerically generated strain field on a Meuwissen-type specimen.

Stress Concentration and Mechanical Strength of Cubic Lattice Architectures

The continuous design of cubic lattice architecture materials provides a wide range of mechanical properties. It makes possible to control the stress magnitude and the local maxima in the structure. This study reveals some architectures specifically designed to reach a good compromise between mass reduction and mechanical strength. Decreased local stress concentration prevents the early occurrence of localized plasticity or damage, and promotes the fatigue resistance. The high performance of cubic architectures is reported extensively, and structures with the best damage resistance are identified. The fatigue resistance and S–N curves (stress magnitude versus lifetime curves) can be estimated successfully, based on the investigation of the stress concentration. The output data are represented in two-dimensional (2D) color maps to help mechanical engineers in selecting the suitable architecture with the desired stress concentration factor, and eventually with the correct fatigue lifetime.

Contribution of computational model for assessment of heart tissue local stress caused by suture in LVAD implantation

STUDY Implantation of a Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD) may produce both excessive local tissue stress and resulting strain-induced tissue rupture that are potential iatrogenic factors influencing the success of the surgical attachment of the LVAD into the myocardium. By using a computational simulation compared to mechanical tests, we sought to investigate the characteristics of stress-induced suture material on porcine myocardium. METHODS Tensile strength experiments (n = 8) were performed on bulk left myocardium to establish a hyperelastic reduced polynomial constitutive law. Simultaneously, suture strength tests on left myocardium (n = 6) were performed with a standard tensile test setup. Experiments were made on bulk ventricular wall with a single U-suture (polypropylene 3-0) and a PTFE pledget. Then, a Finite Element simulation of a LVAD suture case was performed. Strength versus displacement behavior was compared between mechanical and numerical experiments. Local stress fields in the model were thus analyzed. RESULTS A strong correlation between the experimental and the numerical responses was observed, validating the relevance of the numerical model. A secure damage limit of 100 kPa on heart tissue was defined from mechanical suture testing and used to describe numerical results. The impact of suture on heart tissue could be accurately determined through new parameters of numerical data (stress diffusion, triaxiality stress). Finally, an ideal spacing between sutures of 2 mm was proposed. CONCLUSION Our computational model showed a reliable ability to provide and predict various local tissue stresses created by suture penetration into the myocardium. In addition, this model contributed to providing valuable information useful to design less traumatic sutures for LVAD implantation. Therefore, our computational model is a promising tool to predict and optimize LVAD myocardial suture.

Mechanical stability of custom-made implants: Numerical study of anatomical device and low elastic Young's modulus alloy

The advent of new manufacturing technologies such as additive manufacturing deeply impacts the approach for the design of medical devices. It is now possible to design custom-made implants based on medical imaging, with complex anatomic shape, and to manufacture them. In this study, two geometrical configurations of implant devices are studied, standard and anatomical. The comparison highlights the drawbacks of the standard configuration, which requires specific forming by plastic strain in order to be adapted to the patients morphology and induces stress field in bones without mechanical load in the implant. The influence of low elastic modulus of the materials on stress distribution is investigated. Two biocompatible alloys having the ability to be used with SLM additive manufacturing are considered, commercial Ti-6Al-4V and Ti-26Nb. It is shown that beyond the geometrical aspect, mechanical compatibility between implants and bones can be significantly improved with the modulus of Ti-26Nb implants compared with the Ti-6Al-4V.