A numerical simulation model for predicting residual stresses and residual deformations which arise during the injection molding of thermoplastic polymers in the post‐packing stage has been developed. A thermoviscoelastic model with volume relaxation is used for the calculation of residual stresses. The finite element method employed is based on the theory of shells as an assembly of flat elements. This theory is well suited for thin injection molded products of complex shape. The approach allows the prediction of residual deformations and residual stresses layer by layer like a truly three‐dimensional calculation, while reducing the computational cost significantly. The hole drilling technique is used to measure the residual stresses across the thickness of the product. A three‐dimensional laser digitizing system, an image processing technique and a dual displacement transducer system are used to measure the warpage. Experiments are carried out on polycarbonate and high density polyethylene parts. Numerical results are in qualitative agreement with experimental observations, i.e., the skin of the box is surrounded by a compressive region while the core region is in traction. The trend of both the experimental and the predicted residual stress profiles is close. Different examples are presented to illustrate the influence of the geometrical complexity of the shape on the final deformations and residual stresses. The influence of the mold temperature on residual stresses and warpage is also analyzed.

Crestal bone loss is observed around various designs of dental implants. A possible cause of this bone loss is related to the stresses acting on periimplant bone. To investigate the relationship between stress state and bone loss, two-dimensional finite element models corresponding to bucco-lingual and mesio-distal sections of canine mandibles with one of two designs of porous-coated dental implants were analyzed. A fully porous-coated design consisting of a solid Ti6A14V core had a porous coating over the entire outer surface of the implant component, while a partially porous-coated design had the porous coating over the apical two-thirds of the implant surface only. Occlusal forces with axial and transverse components were assumed to act on the implant with interface bonding and effective force transfer at all porous coat-bone interfaces and no bonding for the non-porous-coated regions. The results of the analysis indicated that at most implant aspects (buccal, lingual, mesial, and distal), the equivalent stresses in crestal bone adjacent to the coronal-most, non-porous-coated zone of the partially porous-coated implants were lower than around the most coronal region of the fully porous-coated implants. The region of lower stress around the partially porous-coated implants corresponded to observed areas of crestal bone loss in animal studies, suggesting that crestal bone loss in this case was due to bone disuse atrophy. A number of parameters of the finite element models were varied to determine the effect on the resulting stress fields and, therefore, possible long-term bone remodeling. Based on differences in observed bone structures by histological examination and results of finite element analyses with fully and partially porous-coated implants, an equivalent stress equal to 1.6 MPa was determined to be sufficient to avoid bone loss due to disuse atrophy in the canine mandibular premolar region.

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