Emma La Malfa Ribolla

On the use of the electromechanical impedance technique for the assessment of dental implant stability: Modeling and experimentation:

We propose the electromechanical impedance technique to monitor the stability of dental implants. The technique consists of bonding one wafer-type piezoelectric transducers to the implant system. When subjected to an electric field, the transducer induces structural excitations which, in turn, affect the transducer’s electrical admittance. The hypothesis is that the health of the bone surrounding the implant affects the sensor’s admittance. A three-dimensional finite element model of a transducer bonded to the abutment of a dental implant placed in a host bone site was created to simulate the progress of the tissue healing that occurs after surgery. The healing was modeled by changing the Young’s modulus of the bone–implant interface. It was found that as the Young’s modulus of the interface increases, the electromechanical characteristic of the transducer changes. Then, the model was used to interpret the experimental results relative to a sensor bonded to an abutment screwed to implants secured into bovine bone samples. The results show that the electromechanical impedance technique can be used to monitor the stability of dental implants although more research is warranted to examine the repeatability of the methodology and its advantage with respect to existing commercial systems.

Modeling the electromechanical impedance technique for the assessment of dental implant stability

We simulated the electromechanical impedance (EMI) technique to assess the stability of dental implants. The technique consists of bonding a piezoelectric transducer to the element to be monitored. When subjected to an electric field, the transducer induces structural excitations which, in turn, affect the transducers electrical admittance. As the structural vibrations depend on the mechanical impedance of the element, the measurement of the transducers admittance can be exploited to assess the elements health. In the study presented in this paper, we created a 3D finite element model to mimic a transducer bonded to the abutment of a dental implant placed in a host bone site. We simulated the healing that occurs after surgery by changing Youngs modulus of the bone-implant interface. The results show that as Youngs modulus of the interface increases, i.e. as the mechanical interlock of the implant within the bone is achieved, the electromechanical characteristic of the transducer changes. The model and the findings of this numerical study may be used in the future to predict and interpret experimental data, and to develop a robust and cost-effective method for the assessment of primary and secondary dental implant stability.

Ultrasonic inspection for the detection of debonding in CFRP-reinforced concrete

Abstract Fibre-reinforced plastic (FRP) composites are extensively used to retrofit civil structures. However, the quality and the characteristics of the bond between the FRP and the structure are critical to ensure the efficacy of the retrofit. For this reason, effective non-destructive evaluation (NDE) methods are often necessary to assess the bonding conditions. This article presents an ultrasonic technique for detecting defects at the FRP-substrate interface. The technique uses the Akaike Information Criterion, to detect automatically the onset of the ultrasonic signals, and the novel Equivalent Time Lenght (ETL) parameter, to quantify the energy of the propagating ultrasonic signals along the interface between FRP and concrete. The uniqueness of the ETL is that it is not affected by the coupling conditions between the ultrasonic probes and the structure. The proposed NDE technique has been tested numerically by performing 2D Finite-Element analysis and experimentally on reinforced concrete samples. The results show that the method is robust and cost-effective.

CH of masonry materials via meshless meso-modeling

In the present study a multi-scale computational strategy for the analysis of masonry structures is presented. The structural macroscopic behaviour is obtained making use of the Computational Homogenization (CH) technique based on the solution of the boundary value problem (BVP) of a detailed Unit Cell (UC) chosen at the meso-scale and representative of the heterogeneous material. The smallest UC is composed by a brick and half of its surrounding joints, the former assumed to behave elastically while the latter considered with an elastoplastic softening response. The governing equations at the macroscopic level are formulated in the framework of finite element method while the Meshless Method (MM) is adopted to solve the BVP at the mesoscopic level. The work focuses on the BVP solution. The consistent tangent stiffness matrix at a macroscopic quadrature point is evaluated on the base of BVP results for the UC together with a localisation procedure. Validation of the MM procedure at the meso-scale level is demonstrated by numerical examples that show the results of the BVP for the simple cases of normal and shear loading of the UC.

Granular chains for the assessment of thermal stress in slender structures

Slender beams subjected to compressive stress are common in civil and mechanical engineering. The rapid in-situ measurement of this stress may prevent structural anomalies. In this paper, we describe the coupling mechanism between highly nonlinear solitary waves (HNSWs) propagating along an L-shaped granular system and a beam in contact with the granular medium. We evaluate the use of HNSWs as a tool to measure stress in thermally loaded structures and to estimate the neutral temperature, i.e. the temperature at which this stress is null. We investigated numerically and experimentally one and two L-shaped chains of spherical particles in contact with a prismatic beam subjected to heat. We found that certain features of the solitary waves are affected by the beam’s stress. In the future, these findings may help developing a novel sensing system for the nondestructive prediction of neutral temperature and thermal buckling.

On the use of EMI for the assessment of dental implant stability

The achievement and the maintenance of dental implant stability are prerequisites for the long-term success of the osseointegration process. Since implant stability occurs at different stages, it is clinically required to monitor an implant over time, i.e. between the surgery and the placement of the artificial tooth. In this framework, non-invasive tests able to assess the degree of osseointegration are necessary. In this paper, the electromechanical impedance (EMI) method is proposed to monitor the stability of dental implants. A 3D finite element model of a piezoceramic transducer (PZT) bonded to a dental implant placed into the bone was created, considering the presence of a bone-implant interface subjected to Young’s modulus change. The numerical model was validated experimentally by testing bovine bone samples. The EMI response of a PZT, bonded to the abutment screwed to implants inserted to the bone, was measured. To simulate the osseointegration process a pulp canal sealer was used to secure the implant to the bone. It was found that the PZT’s admittance is sensitive to the stiffness variation of the bone-implant interface. The results show that EMIbased method is able (i) to evaluate the material properties around the implant, and (ii) to promote a novel non-invasive monitoring of dental implant surgical procedure.