Mechanical behavior of restorative dental composites under various loading conditions

Abstract

Mechanical engineering and its scientific principles constitute an essential core in medical science. Currently, different composite resins are widely used as restorative dental materials. However, their lack of adequate strength and toughness has led to research that is aimed at improving the mechanical properties of dental composites. In the present study, the behavior of three different dental materials is investigated under static and dynamic loading conditions. In the experimental tests, a split Hopkinson pressure bar is utilized which corresponds to the most commonly used experimental setup for examining material behavior under a high rate of loading. The examined dental composites experience impacts during their service life and also during car accidents or sport injuries. Hence, in the study, impact loading is modeled in an experiment. A series of compression tests is conducted from low to high strain rates up to 40s^-1, and the dynamic elastic moduli of three different dental composites are measured. Furthermore, studies on the compressed surface of the dental composite specimens are performed to improve the analysis with respect to the hardness of the materials. The responses of the examined composites to dynamic loadings verify the impact resistance of the materials. The results indicate the load-carrying capabilities of the dental composites. These results can be used for materials development and existing computational models.

Keywords: Composite restorative materials; Dynamic compression; High strain rate; Split Hopkinson bar.