Mechanical Strength Study of a Cranial Implant Using Computational Tools
The human head is sometimes subjected to impact loads that lead to skull fracture or other injuries that require the removal of part of the skull, which is called craniectomy. Consequently, the removed portion is replaced using autologous bone or alloplastic material. The aim of this work is to deve...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2022-01-01
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| Series: | Applied Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/12/2/878 |
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| author | Pedro O. Santos Gustavo P. Carmo Ricardo J. Alves de Sousa Fábio A. O. Fernandes Mariusz Ptak |
| author_facet | Pedro O. Santos Gustavo P. Carmo Ricardo J. Alves de Sousa Fábio A. O. Fernandes Mariusz Ptak |
| author_sort | Pedro O. Santos |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The human head is sometimes subjected to impact loads that lead to skull fracture or other injuries that require the removal of part of the skull, which is called craniectomy. Consequently, the removed portion is replaced using autologous bone or alloplastic material. The aim of this work is to develop a cranial implant to fulfil a defect created on the skull and then study its mechanical performance by integrating it on a human head finite element model. The material chosen for the implant was PEEK, a thermoplastic polymer that has been recently used in cranioplasty. A6 numerical model head coupled with an implant was subjected to analysis to evaluate two parameters: the number of fixation screws that enhance the performance and ensure the structural integrity of the implant, and the implant’s capacity to protect the brain compared to the integral skull. The main findings point to the fact that, among all tested configurations of screws, the model with eight screws presents better performance when considering the von Mises stress field and the displacement field on the interface between the implant and the skull. Additionally, under the specific analyzed conditions, it is observable that the model with the implant offers more efficient brain protection when compared with the model with the integral skull. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T01:56:43Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-42f74f05d6fa45bdbe914a47266d756b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-3417 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T01:56:43Z |
| publishDate | 2022-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Applied Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-42f74f05d6fa45bdbe914a47266d756b2023-11-23T12:54:27ZengMDPI AGApplied Sciences2076-34172022-01-0112287810.3390/app12020878Mechanical Strength Study of a Cranial Implant Using Computational ToolsPedro O. Santos0Gustavo P. Carmo1Ricardo J. Alves de Sousa2Fábio A. O. Fernandes3Mariusz Ptak4Center for Mechanical Technology an Automation, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Campus de Santiago, University of Aveiro, 3810-183 Aveiro, PortugalCenter for Mechanical Technology an Automation, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Campus de Santiago, University of Aveiro, 3810-183 Aveiro, PortugalCenter for Mechanical Technology an Automation, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Campus de Santiago, University of Aveiro, 3810-183 Aveiro, PortugalCenter for Mechanical Technology an Automation, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Campus de Santiago, University of Aveiro, 3810-183 Aveiro, PortugalFaculty of Mechanical Engineering, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, Lukasiewicza 7/9, 50-371 Wrocław, PolandThe human head is sometimes subjected to impact loads that lead to skull fracture or other injuries that require the removal of part of the skull, which is called craniectomy. Consequently, the removed portion is replaced using autologous bone or alloplastic material. The aim of this work is to develop a cranial implant to fulfil a defect created on the skull and then study its mechanical performance by integrating it on a human head finite element model. The material chosen for the implant was PEEK, a thermoplastic polymer that has been recently used in cranioplasty. A6 numerical model head coupled with an implant was subjected to analysis to evaluate two parameters: the number of fixation screws that enhance the performance and ensure the structural integrity of the implant, and the implant’s capacity to protect the brain compared to the integral skull. The main findings point to the fact that, among all tested configurations of screws, the model with eight screws presents better performance when considering the von Mises stress field and the displacement field on the interface between the implant and the skull. Additionally, under the specific analyzed conditions, it is observable that the model with the implant offers more efficient brain protection when compared with the model with the integral skull.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/12/2/878cranial implantsfinite element methodPEEKcranioplasty |
| spellingShingle | Pedro O. Santos Gustavo P. Carmo Ricardo J. Alves de Sousa Fábio A. O. Fernandes Mariusz Ptak Mechanical Strength Study of a Cranial Implant Using Computational Tools Applied Sciences cranial implants finite element method PEEK cranioplasty |
| title | Mechanical Strength Study of a Cranial Implant Using Computational Tools |
| title_full | Mechanical Strength Study of a Cranial Implant Using Computational Tools |
| title_fullStr | Mechanical Strength Study of a Cranial Implant Using Computational Tools |
| title_full_unstemmed | Mechanical Strength Study of a Cranial Implant Using Computational Tools |
| title_short | Mechanical Strength Study of a Cranial Implant Using Computational Tools |
| title_sort | mechanical strength study of a cranial implant using computational tools |
| topic | cranial implants finite element method PEEK cranioplasty |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/12/2/878 |
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