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Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons

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Biological and Physical Anthropology

2012

Finite element analysis

Articles 1 - 2 of 2

Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Microwear, Mechanics And The Feeding Adaptations Of Australopithecus Africanus, Paul Constantino, Craig Byron, Paul Dechow, Ian Gross, Peter Lucas, Brian Richmond, Callum Ross, Dennis Slice, Mark Spencer, Dennis Strait, Qian Wang, Gerhard Weber, Bernard Wood, Barth Wright Sep 2012

Microwear, Mechanics And The Feeding Adaptations Of Australopithecus Africanus, Paul Constantino, Craig Byron, Paul Dechow, Ian Gross, Peter Lucas, Brian Richmond, Callum Ross, Dennis Slice, Mark Spencer, Dennis Strait, Qian Wang, Gerhard Weber, Bernard Wood, Barth Wright

Paul J. Constantino

Recent studies of dental microwear and craniofacial mechanics have yielded contradictory interpretations regarding the feeding ecology and adaptations of Australopithecus africanus. As part of this debate, the methods used in the mechanical studies have been criticized. In particular, it has been claimed that finite element analysis has been poorly applied to this research question. This paper responds to some of these mechanical criticisms, highlights limitations of dental microwear analysis, and identifies avenues of future research.


Investigating The Relationship Between Material Property Axes And Strain Orientations In Cebus Apella Crania, Christine M. Dzialo Jan 2012

Investigating The Relationship Between Material Property Axes And Strain Orientations In Cebus Apella Crania, Christine M. Dzialo

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

Probabilistic finite element analysis was used to determine whether there is a statistically significant relationship between maximum principal strain orientations and orthotropic material stiffness orientations in a primate cranium during mastication. We first sought to validate our cranium finite element model by sampling in-vivo strain and in-vivo muscle activation data during specimen mastication. A comparison of in vivo and finite element predicted (i.e. in silico) strains was performed to establish the realism of the FEM model. To the best of our knowledge, this thesis presents the world’s only complete in-vivo coupled with in-vitro validation data set of a primate cranium …