Central
to our approach is the use of finite element (FE)
analysis, a powerful engineering tool only recently applied to biological
structures.
FE
has been used by engineers to predict and simulate the behaviour of
man made objects ranging from wing-nuts to space-craft. In FE a computer
model of the structure of interest is generated and solved for specific
loading conditions that simulate real world 'behaviours'. This 'digital
crash-testing' can reveal detailed information on likely distributions
of stress/strain, as well as data on other variables such as reaction
forces.
In
the life sciences, the ability of FE to facilitate non-destructive
analyses of mechanical behaviour under controlled and easily replicated
conditions has lent it great promise in fields ranging from the prediction
of feeding ecology in living and fossil species,
to the optimization of prosthetic devices and improved
surgical techniques. However, despite notable advances,
the considerable potential of FE analysis in biology has been constrained
by the time consuming nature of model generation, difficulties in
achieving sufficient resolution to incorporate the variable material
properties of bone and difficulties regarding the realistic 3-D reconstruction
of muscle and other soft tissues.
Advances
that we have made over the last year place us at the forefront of
this exciting new field and our approaches represent major steps forward
in the simulation of vertebrate skull mechanics. These include:
1,
a method for the incorporation of variable properties for bone, allowing
for more realistic modeling of structural behaviour
2,
the addition of jaw joints that facilitate more accurate reconstruction
of the 3-D architecture of muscle
3,
procedures that allow statistical analyses of brick stress and strain,
and
4,
despite the complexity of these models (up to an order of magnitude
higher in resolution than has been developed for comparable studies),
our protocols produce simulations that can be quickly assembled and
solved on desktop computers.
