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Updated: Jul 19, 2026

A Testing Platform for Durability Studies of Polymers and Fiber-reinforced Polymer Composites under Concurrent Hygrothermo-mechanical Stimuli
Published on: December 11, 2014
Fatigue behavior of resin composites in aqueous environments
F Takeshige1, Y Kawakami, M Hayashi
1Osaka University Graduate School of Dentistry, Department of Restorative Dentistry and Endodontology, 1-8, Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan.
Objectives:
Interaction between mechanical and chemical fatigue of resin composites was investigated.
Methods:
Fatigue fracture resistance of composites after (1) water immersion and under (2) dry and (3) aqueous conditions was analyzed using a fatigue crack propagation test. The characteristics of fatigue crack propagation were expressed as the correlation between the fatigue crack growth rate (da/dN) and stress intensity factor range (DeltaK) and by the fatigue crack growth threshold (DeltaKth). Following the fatigue test, a fractographic examination was performed by scanning electron microscopy.
Results:
Contrary to common perception, fatigue crack propagation was retarded under aqueous conditions but accelerated after water immersion. In addition, fatigue cracks detoured around inorganic macro-fillers, but penetrated organic fillers.
Significance:
It was concluded that the inverse effects of water on fatigue resistance of composites are dependent on the experimental conditions. Moreover, inorganic macro-fillers were shown to be functional in retarding fatigue cracks in composites.
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