Frédéric Thiebaud

Tensile fracture of soft and hard PZT

Power applications generate high stresses which can damage piezoceramic components. In this study tensile fracture of several types of PZT (hard/soft) is investigated. After validation of the specimen geometry by means of numerical simulation, samples are led to failure using a specific device. Weibull law parameters enable the characterisation of the tensile strength distribution and highlight clear differences between soft and hard ceramics. A fractographic approach emphasises the specificities of the fracture mode and the fracture origin for each type of samples.

Numerical study of the influence of material parameters on the mechanical behaviour of a rehabilitated edentulous mandible.

OBJECTIVES The study dealt with full dental prosthetic reconstruction on four implants. The aim was to analyse the influence of material parameters on the mechanical behaviour of the restored mandible compared to the natural mandible. METHODS A finite element model of an edentulous mandible with prosthetic rehabilitation was established. Four materials were investigated for the framework of the prosthesis (zirconia, titanium, gold and nickel-titanium (NiTi)), as well as three cortical bone thicknesses. Various muscles were employed to simulate the main stages of mastication. Three distinct phases of mastication were modelled: maximum intercuspation, incisal clench and unilateral molar clench. RESULTS The zirconia framework demonstrated the highest stresses and NiTi the weakest. The highest stresses in the framework were obtained during maximum intercuspation. The highest stresses at the bone-implant interface were recorded on the working axial implant during unilateral molar clench and on tilted implants during maximum intercuspation. The influence of the frameworks material stiffness on the stresses at the bone-implant interface was insignificant for axial implants (except the right implant during unilateral molar clench) and slightly more significant for tilted implants. Mandibular flexion decreased with an increase of the cortical bone thickness and the stiffness of the prosthetic frameworks material. CONCLUSIONS Among all materials, NiTi allowed a better preservation of the mandibular flexure, during all the mastication stages. Compared to stiffer materials, NiTi also permitted physiological mechanical conditions at the bone/implant interface, in almost all mastication stages.

Finite Element Analysis of a Copper Single Crystal Shape Memory Alloy-Based Endodontic Instruments

Abstract The aim of the present paper is the development of endodontic Cu-based single crystal Shape Memory Alloy (SMA) instruments in order to eliminate the antimicrobial and mechanical deficiencies observed with the conventional Nickel-Titane (NiTi) SMA files. A thermomechanical constitutive law, already developed and implemented in a finite element code by our research group, is adopted for the simulation of the single crystal SMA behavior. The corresponding material parameters were identified starting from experimental results for a tensile test at room temperature. A computer-aided design geometry has been achieved and considered for a finite element structural analysis of the endodontic Cu-based single crystal SMA files. They are meshed with tetrahedral continuum elements to improve the computation time and the accuracy of results. The geometric parameters tested in this study are the length of the active blade, the rod length, the pitch, the taper, the tip diameter, and the rod diameter. For each set of adopted parameters, a finite element model is built and tested in a combined bending-torsion loading in accordance with ISO 3630-1 norm. The numerical analysis based on finite element procedure allowed purposing an optimal geometry suitable for Cu-based single crystal SMA endodontic files. The same analysis was carried out for the classical NiTi SMA files and a comparison was made between the two kinds of files. It showed that Cu-based single crystal SMA files are less stiff than the NiTi files. The Cu-based endodontic files could be used to improve the root canal treatments. However, the finite element analysis brought out the need for further investigation based on experiments.