The strength and fracture toughness of calcium hydroxide preparations.
The strength of a brittle material depends upon the toughness of the material itself and the degree of perfection with which it can be placed. This study shows that both the compressive and tensile strength of calcium hydroxide lining materials is dependent on the fracture toughness at unstable crack propagation, KIC, and the size, number and distribution of pores (which are the defects that nucleate fracture). Of the products tested here, Dycal possesses the greatest actual strength due to a higher than average KIC value and relatively few isolated small pores. However, the greatest potential for strength exists in Reocap which has a KIC value a factor of 2.4 greater than its nearest rival (Dycal). Unfortunately its strength, as determinedhere, is less than Dycal due to the large number of pores in close proximity to each other.
D002126:Calcium Hydroxide; D008956:Models, Chemical; D010316:Particle Size; D013314:Stress, Mechanical; D013499:Surface Properties; D013718:Tensile Strength
D002126:Calcium Hydroxide