Failure of Complex Biomechanical Structures. Layer structures are replete in biological systems, both natural and artificial. Issues concerning the lifetime of such systems are paramount to the quality of life and economic well being of our aging society. Our project will analyse damage in brittle layer systems that simulate dental crown structures. We are now at a critical point in the understanding of how these structures fail, and are beginning to make substantive predictions to improve des ....Failure of Complex Biomechanical Structures. Layer structures are replete in biological systems, both natural and artificial. Issues concerning the lifetime of such systems are paramount to the quality of life and economic well being of our aging society. Our project will analyse damage in brittle layer systems that simulate dental crown structures. We are now at a critical point in the understanding of how these structures fail, and are beginning to make substantive predictions to improve designs for prolonged life. The project is connected to the dental community and international crown material manufacturers through a broader NIH project in the USA. The improved materials and crown designs resulting from this project will have impact worldwide, including Australia.Read moreRead less
Evolution of Contact Damage in Layer Structures. Brittle layer structures (eg brittle coating on ceramic substrate) can be much more damage tolerant than their constituent material components - cracks tend to remain contained within the coating. Very little is known about the factors that control this behaviour. This project will exploit unique local expertise in modelling damage evolution to fill a niche in a large study being carried out at the National Institute of Standards (NIST) in the U ....Evolution of Contact Damage in Layer Structures. Brittle layer structures (eg brittle coating on ceramic substrate) can be much more damage tolerant than their constituent material components - cracks tend to remain contained within the coating. Very little is known about the factors that control this behaviour. This project will exploit unique local expertise in modelling damage evolution to fill a niche in a large study being carried out at the National Institute of Standards (NIST) in the U.S.A. An understanding of the factors that maximise the containment of cracks is essential to the design and development of the next generation of advanced layer composites for many biomechanical and other engineering applications.Read moreRead less
Failure of Worn Tooth Structures. Layer structures are replete in biological systems, both natural and artificial. Issues concerning the lifetime of such systems are paramount to the quality of life and economic well being of our aging society. Our project will analyse damage in brittle layer systems that simulate natural teeth and dental crown structures that have been subject to wear. The project is connected to the dental community and international crown material manufacturers through a bro ....Failure of Worn Tooth Structures. Layer structures are replete in biological systems, both natural and artificial. Issues concerning the lifetime of such systems are paramount to the quality of life and economic well being of our aging society. Our project will analyse damage in brittle layer systems that simulate natural teeth and dental crown structures that have been subject to wear. The project is connected to the dental community and international crown material manufacturers through a broader National Institutes of Health project in the USA. The improved understanding of damage mechanisms in natural teeth and crown designs resulting from this project will have impact worldwide, including Australia.Read moreRead less
X-Ray Activation of Photocatalytic Titania-Coated Biomedical Implants in Situ. The main causes of biomedical implant failure are loosening and infection, which may require revision surgery. The project has the potential to solve these widespread and expensive problems by formation of a coating of strongly (chemically) bonded and photocatalytically active titania on the titanium implant surface and short-term low-dose X-irradiation. This work has the potential to provide the biomedical industry w ....X-Ray Activation of Photocatalytic Titania-Coated Biomedical Implants in Situ. The main causes of biomedical implant failure are loosening and infection, which may require revision surgery. The project has the potential to solve these widespread and expensive problems by formation of a coating of strongly (chemically) bonded and photocatalytically active titania on the titanium implant surface and short-term low-dose X-irradiation. This work has the potential to provide the biomedical industry with a revolutionary development in both implant coating design and quality with self-disinfection capacity after implantation.Read moreRead less