Fracture toughness determination of ceramic and resin-based dental composites

A new method has been developed for Klc determinations of brittle materials with precracks introduced by indentations. A reference glass, five ceramic materials, and one resin-based composite were tested. Knoop hardness indentations were made with a load of 49 N in a line from edge to edge vertical to the long axis on one surface of four-point flexure bars, to make a continuous crack under the indentations. Five specimens of each material were fractured in a four-point bend test with the line of indentations placed in the zone of constant and maximum tensile stress. Separate unfractured specimens were ground and polished to expose and measure the preformed continuous crack. The mean of six crack-depth measurements was used together with the fracture load and the dimensions of the bend specimens to calculate the fracture toughness, Klc of each material. The determined Klc value (x +/- SD) for the reference glass was 0.81 +/- .24 MPa m1/2 and corresponds to previous studies. The resin-based composite material, Silux Plus, had a value of 1.04 +/- 0.14 MPa m1/2. The Klc values (MPa m1/2) were 0.94 +/- 0.31 for Dicor, 1.41 +/- 0.18 for Cerestore, 1.50 +/- 0.29 for NBK-1000, 1.60 +/- 0.17 for Vitadur-N and 2.14 +/- 0.14 for Hi-Ceram. Hi-Ceram had significantly higher Klc values than the other materials. The new method seemed to be of value in determining the fracture toughness of non-metallic dental materials.