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Mechanical Properties
Defined as the group of properties
dealing with forces and their effects

on dental materials.
They describe the response of restorative

materials to force application in service .

Important in understanding and predicting

behavior of restorative materials under loads if

the maximum service is to be obtained

FORCE
It is the action applied on an object to

change its position of rest or motion;

if the body remains at rest the forces will cause its deformation.

A force is defined by the following

characteristics; speed, magnitude, point of application, and direction

Units: Kg or N or lb

Stress
It is the internal reaction due to an external applied force equal in magnitude but opposite in direction and distributed over a given area of the body. Consequently, the stress in a structure is designated as the force per unit area.

Units: F A

MN/m2 or N/mm2 or lb/inch2 MPa

Types of stress
1. Tensile stress:
Tension results in a body when it is subjected to two sets of forces directed away from each other in the same straight line. Tensile Stress Elongation

2. Compressive stress:

Compression results when the body is subjected to two sets of forces directed towards each other on the same straight line. Compressive stress Shortening

3. Shear stress:
Shear is the result of two sets of forces directed towards each other but

not in the same straight line.

Shear stress

Tearing Or Sliding

Complex stress:

The forces applied to a dental restoration are resolved as a combination of compressive, tensile, and shear stresses (complex stresses) rather than pure single stress.

Strain
It is the change in length per unit length. Units: Lf Lo mm/mm or unit less

Lo

Types of strain:
Elastic strain:
It disappears on removal of the external force.
The material will return to its original shape.

Plastic strain:
It will not disappear on removal of the external force. The material will not return to its original shape.

Relation between stress & strain:

Elastic Portion (Linear)
** It obeys Hook's law

Plastic Portion (Non-linear)**doesnt obey Hook's law

** Strain is linearly

proportional
to applied stress ** Removal of stress original size and shape is recovered

** Strain isnt linearly proportional to applied stress

** Removal of stress original size and shape isnt recovered.

Points on stress & strain:

1- Proportional limit:
describes the relation between stress and strain . P.L. E.L.

2- Elastic limit:
describes the elastic behavior of the material.

3- Yield strength:
Stress at which the material begins to function in a plastic manner. A permanent strain 0.1% or 0.2% of the
total permanent strain occurs in the material

***Functional Failure:
A restoration exhibiting a permanent deformation will be no more fitting the purpose inspite of the fact that it didnt break.

4- Ultimate strength:
Yield stress is more important than the ultimate stress, because yield stress represents the clinical failure (functional failure).

5- Fracture strength:
stress at which the material will fracture

Modulus of Elasticity or Youngs modulus:

It is the constant of proportionality between stress and strain. It is a measure of rigidity or stiffness.
Materials with higher Young's

modulus values are said to be

stiffer or more rigid than those of low Young's modulus values because they require much more stresses to produce the same amount of strain.

A stronger inter-atomic bonding, more rigid material

Clinical Significance:
** Denture base constructed of a rigid material for two reasons:
To allow load distribution on the whole design. To be used in thinner sections without the risk of bending. This gives comfort the patient.

** High modulus of elasticity is required to allow proper stress distribution in case of

long span bridges.

It is the strain resulting in the material when the stress reaches the elastic limit.
1) Impression materials, must have the ability to spring back without suffering any permanent change in shape during removal. 2) Clasps are flexed during mastication

Maximum Flexibility:

m = P
E Maxi. flexibility: it is the amount of elastic strain till the elastic limit.

Ductility & Malleability:

Malleability
the ability to be plastically deformed under compression (hammered into thin sheets).

Ductility
the ability to be plastically deformed under tension (drawn into wire)

They indicate the workability of metals and alloys.

Percentage Elongation:
It is the measure of ductility Importance in dentistry:
Clasps can be adjusted, orthodontics appliances can be prepared, crowns or inlays can be burnished if they are prepared from alloys of high values of percentage l l elongation final original

%Elongation

100

original

Brittleness:
No or very little plastic deformation on application of load

A brittle material fractures at or near its proportional limit.

Brittle materials are weak in tension ** Amalgam ** Cements

Resilience:
The amount of energy required to deform the material to its proportional limit. It represents the resistance of the material to permanent deformation

measured by the area under the straight portion of the stress strain curve (triangle)

Toughness:

Energy required to stress the material to point of fracture. It is represented by the area under the elastic and plastic portion of the stress-strain curve. Toughness of a material is the ability to absorb energy up to the point of fracture

stress flexible ductile strong resilient strain flexible brittle strong resilient

flexible ductile weak

stress flexible brittle weak stiff ductile strong tough stiff brittle strong

strain stress stiff ductile weak strain stiff brittle weak

Transverse bending (Flexure strength)

(3- Point bending): (Modulus of Rupture):

Lower portion of the beam is in tension, Top is in compression. Sides reveal shear stresses.

Transverse stress = P L3 Deformation =

3PL 2bd2
P
3

4Ebd

b
d P

Clinical Significance:
The transverse strength test and the accompanying deformation are very important in comparing:

1) Denture base materials 2) Long span bridges

Tensile stress

Dynamic Mechanical Tests:

1) Diametral compression test (Indirect tensile test):
It measures the tensile strength of brittle materials These materials are much weaker in tension than in compression 2P Tensile stress = ------------DT Where P = Load D = Diameter T = Thickness

2P DT

2) Impact strength and Impact Test: Is the amount of energy absorbed by the
material when subjected to
Measured by clamping a specimen of known dimensions firmly in position and breaking it with a swinging pendulum.

sudden force

Specimens break in different places, so they are notched in order to ensure consistent results. The material fractures at the notch, since this is its weakest part. The values are usually reported in joules.

Types of impact testers:

Charpy & Izod

Clinical Significance:
A sudden blow might correspond to the energy of impact resulting from **an accident to a person wearing a restoration or ** from dropping the denture on a floor

3) Fatigue Strength and Fatigue Test:

The fracture of a material when subjected to repeated (cyclic) small stresses below the P.L.
This causes tiny small cracks to be generated within its structure. These tiny cracks do not cause failure immediately. With each application of stress, the
cracks grow until the material breaks.
Stresses below the fatigue limit will not cause fracture (Endurance Limit). The restoration should be designed so that the fatigue stresses are below the fatigue limit.

Surface mechanical properties

1) Hardness
Hardness is the resistance of the material to permanent indentation or penetration or scratching. -All methods used to measure the hardness, depend on the penetration of small indenter into the surface of the material

Some of the most common methods of testing the hardness of restorative materials are the Brinell, Knoop,
Vickers, Rockwell, and shore A

Area of indentation

Hardness No

Area of indentation

Hardness No

H=

F A

Clinical Significance:
A hard material is considered both advantage and disadvantage

e.g.
** Natural teeth should not be opposed by harder materials like porcelain. ** Restorations made of hard material like cobalt chromium are: a) Very difficult to finish and polish. b) Once they are polished they maintain polished surface with no scratches.

2) Wear
The loss of material resulting from mechanical action.
Wear of tooth structure and restorative materials

May result from:

1- Mechanical - Improper use of tooth brushing 2- Physiological -Normal mastication may cause attrition of tooth structure 3- Pathological

Bruxism.

Rheological Properties
Rheology: It is the study of the flow of matter

Viscoelasticity

Creep

Strain- rate sensitive materials:

Viscoelastic materials are combination of elastic, viscous and anelastic behaviors. e.g. elastic impression materials, amalgam and waxes.

Rate = Quickly = Time = Permanent Deformation

Rate = Slowly = Time = Permanent Deformation

Starin-time Relationships
I) Ideal elastic material
If a material behaves as an ideal elastic solid; When stress is applied below the proportional limit * Immediate amount of strain will result * The strain remains constant with time. Strain

When the load is removed (at the time t1) t0 t1 Time the strain Immediately decreases to zero. Therefore, the strain is independent of the rate of loading or time in which the load was applied.

ii) Ideal viscous material

When stress is applied below the proportional limit at (t0 time) the strain increases uniformly until the stress is removed at (t1 time) the strain will not recover after stress removal. Therefore, the strain is directly proportional to the time of load application

Strain

t0

t1

Time

iii) Anelastic material (delayed elasticity)

When stress is applied at (t0 time) Non linear increase of the strain with time On load removal strain will non linear decrease to zero with time (gradual but complete recovery) Therefore, the strain is time dependent

Strain

t0

t1

Time

It is a combination of elastic, anelastic and viscous behavior. Which is time dependent. The elastic and anelastic portions are recovered but the purely viscous components are not. -Upon load application i) Immediate strain will occur due to elastic portion ii) gradual increase due to both viscous and anelastic parts. -Upon release of stress i) the elastic strain is immediately recovered and ii) the anelastic strain is gradually recovered. However, iii) viscous strain is not recovered, results in permanent deformation strain

Viscoelastic behaviour:

t0

t1

time

Clinical Significance:
i) Elastic impression materials
Snap removal from the mouth i.e. less time = high rate of loading in order to; **Minimize the permanent deformation as a result of viscous deformation during removal. **Increase tear strength i.e. less chance to tear.

On removal from the mouth

they should be given time to recover before a model can be poured time for gradual recovery of the anelastic part ii) Dental amalgam undergoes creep.

Creep
It is a time dependent deformation of a material
- At stresses below their yield strengths. - And at temperatures near the softening point of a material. **Metals and ceramics softening temperature is far above room or mouth temperatures, they do not creep in dental application. **Polymers such as waxes and rubbers have softening point near room or mouth temperatures and can creep considerably.
** Flow is creep for amorphous materials, such as waxes. ** Sag is the creep at higher temperatures as in most of metals

Clinical Significance:
All metals tend to creep (slowly deform) when stressed near its melting temperature. In dental amalgam restorations, they contain components with melting temperature slightly above room temperature. Thus they undergo creep, which should be kept minimum.

Stress

Stress

Strain

Strain

Strong = P.L.

Weak = P.L.

Stress

Stress

Strain

Strain

Stiff = E

Flexible = E

Stress

Stress

Strain

Strain

Ductile = Plastic deformation

or Malleable

Brittle = Plastic deformation

Stress

Stress

Strain

Strain

Resilient = area of the triangle below elastic slope

Not Resilient = area of the triangle below elastic slope

Stress

Stress

Strain

Strain

Tough = area under the elastic and plastic (curve)

Not tough = area under the elastic and plastic (curve)