STRESS ANALYSIS OF A HUMAN MANDIBLE UNDER VARIOUS LOADS USING FINITE ELEMENT METHOD

하악골의 부위별 충격시 발생되는 응력에 대한 유한 요소법적 연구

The stress distributions on a human mandible for 18 load cases under two different boundary conditions (mouth open and closed), using the three dimensional finite element modeling were studied. Also, the expected fracture loads for each load cases were calculated by using the Von-Mises yield criterion. The model of a mandible with all teeth was composed of 2402 hexahedron elements and 3698 nodes. CAD techniques were used to analyze the 3-dimensional results. The conclusions of this study were as follows: 1. In the mouth open state, the maximum stress occured at the condyle neck; when the lateral load was exerted, the maximum stress occured at the load side condyle. 2. In the mouth closed state, when the loads were exerted on the mandibular body and chin, the maximum stress occured at the loaded area, and when the loads were exerted on the angle and ramus, the maximum stress occured at the condyle neck. 3. The expected fracture loads in each load case were calculated using the Von-Mises yield criterion, and it was confirmed that the mandible in the mouth open state was more easily fractured than that in the mouth closed state, and the expected fracture loads are lesser in the cases that load direction is parallel at mandibular plane than 45°. 4. The magnitudes of the expected fracture loads increased in the order of angle, ramus, body and chin in case of the mouth closed state, while chin, body, angle and ramus in case of the mouth open state. 5. The Von-Mises stress concentration regions analyzed by F.E.M. corresponded well with the results of clinical studies.