Fatigue Resistance of Acrylic Resin Reinforced With E-Glass Fibers

Objectives: The purpose of the study was to determine the effect of different forms and concentrations of glass fibers on fatigue resistance of acrylic denture base resin. Methods: A total of 91 specimens (84 test specimens and 7 control specimens) were fabricated (65mm x 10mm x 3 mm). The test specimens were prepared by modifying the polymethylmethacrylate with the addition of different concentrations (2.5%, 3%, 4%, 5% by volume) of three forms (chopped strand mat, continuous and woven) of glass fibers. Unmodified heat-cured acrylic resin was used as a control. The fatigue resistance was measured by applying repeated three-point bending deflection to the specimens. The cycle frequency of 342 rpm (5.7 Hz) and magnitude of deflection of 2.0 mm. The number of loading cycles needed to cause a fracture in the test specimen was considered the fatigue resistance of the specimen. Results: The results of this study revealed that the addition of three different glass fiber forms at all concentrations to acrylic resin made differences in the fatigue resistance but they were not statistically significant (p ≥ 0.05). This study also revealed that there were significant differences (p < 0.05) between glass fibers forms used concerning the effects on the fatigue resistance. Increased glass fiber concentration did not significantly affect the fatigue resistance of the acrylic resin (p ≥ 0.05). Conclusions: This study showed that the woven glass fibers had a definite superiority over the chopped fibers and the continuous fibers in regards to the fatigue resistance.