Master of Science / Department of Civil Engineering / Dunja Peric / Integral Abutment Bridges (IABs) are Jointless Bridges whereby the deck is continuous and monolithic with abutment walls. IABs are outperforming their non-integral counterparts in economy and safety. Their principal advantages are derived from the absence of expansion joints and sliding bearings in the deck, making them the most cost-effective system in terms of construction, maintenance, and longevity. The main purpose of constructing IABs is to prevent the corrosion of structure due to water seepage through joints. The simple and rapid construction provides smooth, uninterrupted deck that is aesthetically pleasing and safer for riding. The single structural unit increases the degree of redundancy enabling higher resistance to extreme events. However, the design of IABs not being an exact science poses certain critical issues. The continuity achieved by this construction results in thermally induced deformations. These in turn introduce a significantly complex and nonlinear soil-structure interaction into the response of abutment walls and piles of the IAB. The unknown soil response and its effect on the stresses in the bridge, creates uncertainties in the design. To gain a better understanding of the mechanism of load transfer due to thermal expansion, which is also dependent on the type of the soil adjacent to the abutment walls and piles, a 3D finite element analysis is carried out on a representative IAB using state-of-the-art finite element code ABAQUS/Standard 6.5-1. A literature review focusing on past numerical models of IABs is presented followed by details of the numerical model developed in this study using the interactive environment ABAQUS/CAE 6.5-1 along with the analysis details. A discussion of results for the analysis of the IAB with three different soil conditions and each experiencing three different temperature change scenarios is presented. Conclusions of the study and recommendations for future research wrap up the thesis. The advancement of knowledge enabled by this research will provide a basis for introduction of new guidelines in Kansas Bridge Design Manual.

In the field of implantology, is recognized that microleakage at abutment/implant interface may cause inflammatory reactions in the peri-implant tissue. Although its established that microorganisms cause corrosion on metals in water environments, the role of bacteria at corrosion of dental alloys is unknown. The corrosion may result in biological, functional and aesthetic effects. The aim of this in vitro experiment is to evaluate the microleakage and corrosion by Streptococcus mutans at implant/abutment interface. The evaluated abutments are the following: premachined UCLA of Ag-Pd, premachined UCLA of tilite, calcinable UCLA of Co-Cr, calcinable UCLA of tilite, tilite preparable trunion and titanium preparable trunion. The inner of implants were contaminated with Streptococcus mutans culture. The abutments were screwed on implants, receiving closing torques of 32 N.cm and immerse in thioglycolate, keeping incubated for 28 days. The microleakage was evaluated in each 24 hours, for 14 days. After that, the culture environments that werent bleary were contaminated. The culture environments were analyzed in the 7th, 14th and 28th days, with atomic absorption spectrophotometry, for corrosion analyze. With exception of the prosthetic component of Ag-Pd, all the tested components had an increase in the corrosion when immersed in way contend Streptococcus mutans, of significant form or not, and the premachined UCLA of Ag-Pd presented higher percentage of microleakage (40%), but without difference significant statistics for the others tested groups. / No âmbito da implantodontia é reconhecido que a microinfiltração na interface implante/pilar protético pode causar reações inflamatórias no tecido perimplantar. Apesar de estabelecido que microrganismos causem corrosão de metais em meio aquoso, a ação das bactérias na corrosão de materiais odontológicos tem sido pouco estudada. A corrosão pode gerar problemas biológicos, funcionais e estéticos. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar in vitro a microinfiltração e corrosão por Streptococcus mutans na interface implante/pilar protético. Foram avaliados pilares protéticos tipo UCLA calcinável fundidos em liga de Co-Cr e tilite, UCLA com cinta metálica pré-fabricada em duas diferentes ligas (Ag-Pd e tilite) e dois tipos de pilar reto personalizável (titânio grau 5 e tilite). O interior dos implantes foi inoculado com S. mutans, os pilares protéticos aparafusados sobre os implantes, recebendo torque de 32 N.cm e imersos em caldo tioglicolato, onde permaneceram incubados por até 28 dias. A microinfiltração foi avaliada a cada 24 horas por 14 dias e depois, os grupos que não apresentaram turvação, foram inoculados e incubados por mais 14 dias. Depois de sete, 14 e 28 dias de incubação, o meio de cultura foi analisado por espectrofotometria de absorção atômica. Com exceção do componente protético de Ag-Pd, todos os componentes testados tiveram um aumento na corrosão quando imersos em meio contendo Streptococcus mutans, de forma significativa ou não e os pilares UCLA com cinta pré-fabricada em Ag-Pd apresentaram maior porcentagem de microinfiltração (40%) embora sem diferença estatística significativa para os demais grupos testados.

O presente estudo avaliou a influência do formato do pilar na capacidade retentiva de copings metálicos cimentados sobre implantes. Foram avaliados dois pilares de um mesmo sistema, com as mesmas indicações, mesma altura e mesmo grau de convergência, mas de desenhos diferentes. Dez pilares SynOcta RN e dez pilares sólidos RN de 5,5 milímetros, ambos fabricados pela Straumann USA, e utilizados para coroas e próteses fixas cimentadas, foram fixados com torque de 35 N/cm em vinte réplicas de implante previamente fixadas em blocos de resina. Vinte copings plásticos pré-fabricados para fundição foram encerados, incluídos, fundidos e usinados por um único operador. Posteriormente à inspeção dos copings metálicos em estereomicroscópio, os mesmos foram cimentados (Temp Bond NE) nos pilares, com carga de 5 kg mantida por dez minutos. Após as amostras terem sido armazenadas por 24 horas em 100% de umidade à temperatura ambiente, foram submetidas a ensaio de tração com velocidade de 5 mm/min até o deslocamento dos copings metálicos. A força necessária para o deslocamento foi registrada em kilograma-força e os dados analisados estatisticamente com auxílio do teste T de Student para amostras independentes. A média da força necessária para remoção dos copings metálicos cimentados sobre os pilares SynOcta (11,19 kg) foi estatisticamente superior à observada para os pilares sólidos (10,18 kg). Considerando as limitações deste estudo, podemos concluir que o desenho do pilar influencia significativamente a retenção de copings metálicos. / This study evaluated the influence of the abutment design on the retention of cementretained, implant-supported metallic copings. Two abutments of the same system, with the same height, indications and total occlusal convergence, but of different designs were evaluated. Ten RN SynOcta abutments and ten RN solid titanium abutments both manufactured by Straumann USA and indicated for cement-retained single crowns and fixed partial dentures were tightened to 35Ncm on twenty implant analogs previously placed in resin blocks. Twenty plastic burnout copings were waxed, included, cast and machined by the same operator. After inspected under a stereomicroscope, the copings were cemented (Temp Bond NE) with load of 5 kg maintained for ten minutes. After this, the assemblies were stored for 24h in 100% humidity at room temperature and subjected to a pull-out test at a crosshead speed of 5 mm/min until the displacement of the metallic copings. The load required to dislodge each coping was recorded in kilogram-force and the data were statistically analyzed using the T student test for independent samples. The mean load necessary load to dislodge the metallic copings showed by SynOcta abutments (11,19 kg) was statistically higher than the one for the solid abutments (10,18 kg). With the limitations of this study, we can conclude that the design of the abutment influence significantly the retention of metallic copings.

A reabilitação de pacientes desdentados totais e parciais com próteses implantossuportadas constitui, atualmente, um dos tratamentos de eleição na Odontologia. O sucesso do tratamento está relacionado com a precisão e adaptação dos componentes, assim como com a estabilidade da interface implante/intermediário quando submetida a cargas durante a mastigação. A restauração unitária é biomecanicamente mais complexa, principalmente em se tratando de unidades posteriores. O objetivo deste trabalho foi comparar o valor de torque e de destorque do parafuso de intermediários de hexágono externo, hexágono interno e cone morse em restaurações unitárias, antes e após ensaio mecânico. Quinze corpos de prova foram divididos em três grupos: Grupo A implante de hexágono externo, Grupo B implante de hexágono interno e Grupo C implante cone morse. Sobre os implantes foram parafusados munhões universais e sobre estes cimentadas coroas metálicas. As amostras foram submetidas a ensaio mecânico de um milhão de ciclos, com freqüência de 8 ciclos por segundo e sob carga de 400 N. Aplicação e registro dos valores de torque e destorque dos parafusos do intermediário foram realizados antes e depois do ensaio. Por meio do teste de Tukey, adotando-se nível de significância de 5%, não foi observada diferença estatisticamente significativa entre os valores de destorque inicial e final das amostras dentro de um mesmo grupo. Porém, foi evidenciada diferença estatisticamente significativa dos valores iniciais entre os grupos A e C e dos valores finais entre os grupos A e B, A e C, B e C. A conexão cone morse apresentou os maiores valores de destorque inicial e final, mostrando-se mais estável. / Currently the rehabilitation of patients totally or partially toothless with implantsupported prothesis constitutes a primary choice treatment in Dentistry. The success of the treatment is related to the precision and adaptation of components, as well as to the stability of the implant/abutment interface submitted to mastication loads. The unitary restoration is bio-mechanically more complex, especially for the posterior units. The objective of this study is to compare values of torque and detorque recorded for the screw of the abutment with external hexagon, internal hexagon and morse taper in unitary restorations, before and after the mechanical test. Fifteen samples were divided into three groups: Group A implant of external hexagon; Group B implant of internal hexagon and Group C morse taper implant. Universal abutments were torqued over the implants and metallic crowns were cemented over the abutments. Samples were submitted to mechanical test of a million cycles, frequency of 8 cycles per second and load equivalent to 400 N. Application and recording of torque and detorque values at screws of the abutment were carried out before and after the mechanical test. Results of a Tukey test with a 5% level of significance showed no statistically significant difference between the initial and the final detorque values in samples of the same group. However, a statistically significant difference was found for the initial detorque values between the groups A and C and for the final detorque values between A and B, A and C, B and C. The Morse taper connection showed higher values of initial and final detorque values, therefore bearing increased stability.

Low-strength cellular concrete is a type of controlled low-strength material (CLSM) which is increasingly being used for various modern construction applications. Benefits of the material include its ease of placement due to the ability of cellular concrete to self-level and self-compact. It is also extremely lightweight compared to traditional concrete, enabling the concrete to be used in fill applications as a compacted soil would customarily be used. Testing of this material is not extensive, especially in the form of large-scale tests. Additionally, effects of skew on passive force resistance help to understand performance of a material when it is used in an application where skew is present. Two passive force-deflection tests were conducted in the structures lab of Brigham Young University. A 4-ft x 4-ft x 12-ft framed box was built with a steel reaction frame on one end a 120-kip capacity actuator on the other. For the first test a non-skewed concrete block, referred to as the backwall, was placed in the test box in front of the actuator. For the second test a backwall with a 30° skew angle was used. To evaluate the large-scale test a grid was painted on the concrete surface and each point was surveyed before and after testing. The large-scale sample was compressed a distance of approximately three inches, providing a clear surface failure in the sample. The actuator provided data on the load applied, enabling the creation of the passive force-deflection curves. Several concrete cylinders were cast with the same material at the time of pouring for each test and tested periodically to observed strength increase.The cellular concrete for the 0° skew test had an average wet density of 29 pounds per cubic foot and a 28-day compressive strength of 120 pounds per square inch. The cellular concrete for the 30° skew test had an average wet density of 31 pounds per cubic foot and a 28-day compressive strength of 132 pounds per square inch. It was observed from the passive force deflection curves of the two tests that skew decreased the peak passive resistance by 29%, from 52.1 kips to 37 kips. Various methods were used to predict the peak passive resistance and compared with observed behavior to verify the validity of each method.

Integral abutment bridges are very common for short span bridges in the United State due to their less construction and maintenance cost and generally good performance. This thesis studies the first integral abutment bridge using Folded Plate Girder (FPG) Bridge System. The bridge is instrumented with a variety of gauges to capture the behavior of the bridge, and a total of two year and one month [11/2011~12/2013] of data are collected and long-term data monitoring is performed. Live load test and long term temperature effect on the bridge are studied using finite element modeling and compared with actual field data. Girder strain/stress at mid-span and quarter-span and abutment rotations were investigated. From the result, first the bridge was found to show good performance. Shear lag effect was found to be happening at the bottom flange-to-web junction of the steel girder when subjected to concentrated loading. Thermal gradient was found to be significant on the girder strain and abutment rotations.

A parametric study of single-span integral abutment bridge (IAB) was conducted using finite element analysis to explore the effects of various load conditions, bridge geometries, and soil properties. This study investigated the difference between the live load distribution of traditional jointed bridges and integral abutment bridges (IABs) under HL-93 truck component load. The results showed that AASHTO live load distribution factors (LLDFs) were overly conservative by up to 50% to use for IABs. LLDFs for IABs proposed by Dicleli and Erhan (2008) matched well for interior girder moment, but they were unconservative for exterior girder moment by up to 20% for the bridges studied. The study further investigated the effects of various parameters on the IAB responses under dead, live, and thermal loads and load combinations specified by AASHTO. The results of this study are limited to short to moderate single-span straight bridges under dead, live, and thermal loads. Due to a fixity of superstructure and abutments in IABs, the bridge response to each loading is influenced by the relative stiffness of superstructure to substructure. Under combined loads, the amount of each load effect varied depending on superstructure and substructure stiffness, but the critical load combination for each bridge response was determined in this study. Yielding of piles seems unavoidable for IABs built on sand under combined loads even after the change of pile size or pile orientation, but replacing the soil around top 3m (10ft) of piles with softer material is effective to reduce the significant amount of pile moment for IABs built on sand foundation soil. This thesis includes some design recommendations based on the findings of this study.

No description available.

Magister Scientiae Dentium - MSc(Dent) / Background: The two-stage implant system has proven to be a successful technique in replacing missing teeth (Nascimento et al., 2008). Nevertheless, the presence of micro-gaps that could entrap microbes at the implant-abutment interface (IAI) is unavoidable. This microbial leakage has been considered as one of the causes of peri-implant infection and bone loss (Scarano et al., 2005). Several companies have attempted to manufacture an implant with a connection design that provides hermetic sealing against bacterial leakage. Studies indicated that implants with internal connection, in particular the conical (Morse taper) design, have better sealing capacity in the implant abutment interface than the external design (Koutouzis et al., 2011, Jaworski et al., 2012). An internal conical implant system with a novel connection design, known as the Grand Morse (GM) connection, is reported to offer secure connection against micro-leakage (Neodent® Implant Systems Inc., 2018). Aims: The aim of this study was to test the sealing ability against bacterial leakage in the implant-abutment interface provided by an implant with a novel deep internal conical (GM) connection design.

As part of the Long Term Bridge Performance (LTBP) Program, a single-span, prestressed, integral abutment concrete girder pilot bridge near Perry, Utah was instrumented with different sensors at various locations onto the bridge for long-term monitoring and periodic testing. One of the periodic tests conducted on this bridge was a live-load test. The live-load test included driving trucks across the bridge, as well as parking trucks along different lanes of the bridge, and measuring the deflection and strain. The data collected from these tests was used to create and calibrate a computer model of the bridge. The model was afforded the same dimensions and characteristics as the actual bridge, and then the boundary conditions (how the bridge is being supported) were altered until the model data and the live-load data matched. Live-load distribution factors and load ratings were then obtained using this calibrated model and compared to the AASHTO LRFD Bridge Design Specifications. The results indicated that in all cases, the AASHTO LRFD Specification distribution factors were conservative by between 55% to 78% due to neglecting to take the bridge fixity (bridge supports) into account in the distribution factor equations. The actual fixity of the bridge was determined to be 94%.Subsequently, a variable study was conducted by creating new models based on the original bridge for changes in span length, deck thickness, edge distance, skew (angle of distortion of the bridge), and fixity to see how each variable would affect the bridge. Distribution factors were then calculated for each case and compared with the distribution factors obtained from the AASHTO LRFD Specifications for each case. The results showed that the variables with the largest influence on the bridge were the change in fixity and the change in skew. Both parameters provided ranges between 10% non- conservative and 56% conservative. The parameter with the least amount of influence was the deck thickness providing a range between 4% non-conservative and 19% non- conservative. Depending on which variable was increased, both increases and decreases in conservatism were exhibited in the study.