The effect of highly drawn polyethylene fibres on the mechanical properties of denture base resins.
This paper reports on the effect of reinforcing dental resins with continuous, longitudinally oriented highly drawn linear polyethylene fibres.  The mechanical properties were measured in 3-point bending, and the composites showed a very substantial improvement when compared with the properties of an unreinforced resin.  The performance improves as the fibre content increases, and the type of resin does not appear to be a significant factor. It is shown that the inclusion of the reinforcement changes the mode of failure of the resin from brittle to ductile; that is, the system may be damaged but it does not disintegrate.
Dental Materials Science Unit, University of Hong Kong.
N H
NH
Ladizesky
T W
TW
Chow
I M
IM
Ward
D003188:Composite Resins / Q000737:chemistry*; D003819:Denture Bases; D003779:Denture Design; D016379:Denture, Partial, Fixed, Resin-Bonded; D006801:Humans; D008422:Materials Testing; D008768:Methylmethacrylates / Q000737:chemistry*; D011095:Polyethylenes / Q000737:chemistry*; D013314:Stress, Mechanical; D017155:Wettability