Laboratory of Biocompatible Materials Mechanics

• We have conducted research of different tissues of teeth: enamel, dentin and cementum.
• Our researchers have developed an experiment scheme that ensures humification of the sample in the process of indentation which rules out destruction of tooth structure during continuous investigation of the sample.
• We have developed refined mathematical models describing processes of indentation of oral cavity solid tissues samples based on defining and solving contact problems of installing indenter into inhomogeneous deformable media.
• By means of using specially designed mathematical apparatus for solving we have obtained solutions of the problem in the analytical form that is best suited for processing processing experimental data.
• We have formulated and solved problems in determining elasticity of biological materials in the process of indentation and produced formulas for precise calculation of elastic modulus from experimental data.
• A method has been developed for determining elasticity of materials that have inhomogeneous structure and in case of significant difference between qualities of the investigated sample and characteristics of the indenter and the sample holder.
• These results will lay the basis for developing a method to determine qualities if inhomogeneous porous elastic and liquid-saturated tissues (such as ocular tissues) at the second stage of the project.
• We have studied distribution of mechanical characteristics in healthy and demineralized regions of tooth and their vicinities. Data will be used in research of technologies of treatment and prevention of caries.

Implemented results of research: We have filed applications for patents for inventions: «Combined keratoprosthesis», authored by A. N. Yepikhin; «A device for fixing and section of biological tissues for producing and implanting combined keratoprosthesis», authored by A. N. Yepikhin

Education and career development:

Over 2018 young employees of the Laboratory and students working at it participated in education events:

• We have organized participation in training in nanoindentation within the «Indentation 2018» conference (University of Liege, Belgium)
• The additional training course «Problems of strength, dynamics, and operational life» has been conducted (Lobachevskiy Nizhniy Novgorod State University, Russia), as well as training in conducting full-cycle tests of nanoindustry products (Russian Nanoindustry Association, Russia).
• Our employees have completed training at the «Scratch-testing with registering tension forces and acoustic emission» and the «Pulse and multi-cycle heating» programs using the Micro Materials Nanotest 600 P3 nanoindentor (IMC Group, Russia)
• Training program «Developing scientific communication in research» (National Training Foundation, Russia), additional training program «Computer tomography and working with the Volume Graphics software package» («Ostec-СМТ» Ltd, Russia).
• Employees of the Laboratory have created the «Using spherical indenters and the multi-point analysis method for analyzing results of nanoindentaion for experimentally determining mechanical characteristics of surfaces (case study for masters students)» text.

Organizational and structural changes:

Unique equipment of the Laboratory purchased in 2018 – the submicron resolution computer tomography scanner – will be introduced to the collective utilization center of the Don State Technical University.

Other results:

• Facilitators of the project have conducted several meetings with employees of medical education institutions and medical organization of Rostov-on-Don and Stavropol.
• We have conducted research of microstructure of human teeth at industrial tomography laboratories of General Electric and Carl Zeiss Microscopy GmbH in Germany.

Collaborations:

• Lobachevskiy Nizhniy Novgorod State University (Russia), Kettering University (USA), A.V. Lykov Institute of Heat and Mass Transfer of National Academy of Sciences of Belarus (Belarus), Inner Mongolia University of Technology (China PR): joint research and scientific publications