Meeting Abstract
33.2 Tuesday, Jan. 5 The intersection of experiment and theory: using cutting tests and FEA models to understand how teeth fracture food ANDERSON, Philip S. L.*; RAYFIELD, Emily J.; Univ. of Bristol; Univ. of Bristol Phil.Anderson@bristol.ac.uk
Material properties of food items can exert a strong influence on tooth morphology. Previous experimental studies have shown that the morphology of bladed dental tools can have a significant effect on the energy required to cut various biological tissues. We integrate further experimental analyses with theoretical finite element (FE) modeling to explore the relationship between blade shape and food materials. Our aim is to create a strong link between experimental and theoretical data to better understand dental functional morphology. We used a double guillotine testing device to cut biological tissues of varying physical properties (fish muscle and plant materials) and standardized homogenous materials (photoelastic resin and silicone rubber). We measured work to fracture during cutting using tool shapes based on dental morphology. We built FE models that matched the guillotine structure: a test material given the properties of silicone or resin compressed between rigid features shaped like cutting tools. Stress and strain patterns and reaction forces were calculated for a variety of dental tool shapes. Experimental results show that the effects of dental shape are dependent on the physical properties of the materials being cut. Work to fracture measures varied up to 50% depending on tool shape and material used. FE analyses based on photoelastic resin replicate both strain patterns and force values produced by the experiments, allowing us to read the stress and strain values calculated as real. The FE analyses show distinct differences in both the levels and patterns of strain present in test materials cut by different tool shapes. These results show the power of integrating experimental data and theoretical models to approach biomechanical questions.
