Finite Element Analysis of a Novel Temporary External Fixator (TEF) in Mandibular Reconstruction

Rungsan  Chaiyachet; Surasith  Piyasin; Weerayut  Jina; Teerawat  Paipongna; Apichart  Boonma

doi:10.6180/jase.202511_28(11).0003

Finite Element Analysis of a Novel Temporary External Fixator (TEF) in Mandibular Reconstruction

Rungsan Chaiyachet¹, Surasith Piyasin², Weerayut Jina³, Teerawat Paipongna⁴, and Apichart Boonma¹This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

¹Department of Industrial Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen 40002, Thailand

²Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen 40002, Thailand

³Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing, Engineering, Faculty of Sciences and Engineering, Kasetsart University, Sakon Nakhon 47000, Thailand

⁴Dental Department, Sakon Nakhon Hospital, Sakon Nakhon 47000, Thailand

Received: August 3, 2024
Accepted: December 17, 2024
Publication Date: February 28, 2025

Copyright The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are cited.

Download Citation: ||https://doi.org/10.6180/jase.202511_28(11).0003

This research examines temporary external fixators (TEF) with four screw plate configurations following segmental mandibulectomy. A new design for a screw plate accommodating 2 to 4 bicortical screws (2.4 mm each) is proposed. Biomechanical reliability is assessed using finite element analysis (FEA) and compared with the Schanz screws. A mandibular model was created with cortical and cancellous bones segmented by threshold method. The screw plate, designed in SolidWorks, featured a 12 mm inter-hole distance, 2.0 mm thickness, and 2.4 mm screws. Structural analysis was performed in ANSYS using literature-based mechanical properties. A mesh convergence test with a 0.33 mm mesh size and 1,005,000 elements had a solution time of 205 seconds, with a relative error under 0.161%. Static structural behavior of the Left Unilateral Molar Clench (LMOL) wasalso analyzed. The 3-screw plate showed superior biomechanical performance, with maximum von Mises stress at 293.38 MPa, von Mises strain at 23.57 m/mm, and total deformation at 0.5915 mm. Topology optimization revealed that the 50% mass configuration is the most effective among the 40% to 60% mass range. This configuration achieved a 2.31% decrease in Maximum von Mises stress, and a 16.99% reduction in total deformation.

Keywords: Finite Element; Biomechanics; Temporary External Fixator; Mandibular Reconstruction; Structural Analysis.

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