journal of dentistry 40 (2012) 968–978

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journal homepage: www.intl.elsevierhealth.com/journals/jden

Compressive and flexural behaviour of fibre reinforced

endodontic posts

Manila Chieruzzi a,*, Stefano Pagano b, Manuela Pennacchi a, Guido Lombardo b,

Potito D’Errico b, Josè M. Kenny a
a
Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, University of Perugia, Strada di Pentima, 4, 05100 Terni, Italy
b
Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, Clinical Odontostomatology, University of Perugia, S. Andrea delle Fratte, 06156 Perugia, Italy

article info abstract

Article history: Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the mechanical properties of five types of
Received 31 January 2012 fibre-reinforced composite (FRC) posts and compare them with traditional metal post.
Received in revised form Methods: Five FRC posts and a metallic post having different geometry and type of fibre
31 July 2012 (glass, carbon or quartz fibre) were loaded to failure in compression and bending. The
Accepted 4 August 2012 transverse sections of FRC posts were observed using SEM to evaluate the fracture mode and
the percentage of fibres (compared with burn-off test). Densities and voids content were also
evaluated.
Keywords: Results: Mechanical results were subjected to a one-way ANOVA and Tukey test ( p < 0.05).
FRC posts In compression, quartz fibre posts exhibited the greater maximum load and ultimate
Endodontic posts strength, carbon fibre posts showed a poor compressive behaviour. All posts had similar
Compressive strength compressive moduli.
Flexural strength Carbon posts showed the highest flexural properties ( p < 0.0001) while glass posts the
Three-point bending test greater maximum load. The fracture load values correlated to the diameters of posts showed
Debonding a parabolic behaviour. The flexural strengths of all posts were four and seven times higher
than dentine.
The elastic moduli of almost all posts were similar to dentine. The compressive strengths
were lower than flexural strengths. The fibre diameters ranged from 5.2 to 26 mm, the
volume percentage of fibres was about 64%. The content of voids of some posts lower their
mechanical behaviour.
Conclusions: Compressive properties of FRC posts were lower than in bending. The flexural
properties of FRC posts were higher than the metal post and similar to dentine. The
mechanical behaviour is influenced by voids.
# 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction
Crown restoration of an endodontically treated tooth often
requires additional support by means of a root canal prepara-
tion and the fabrication of a post and core restoration.1–3 This
post may be individually cast together with the core, or the post
may be prefabricated, in which case amalgam, resin composite,
or glass ionomeric cement is used as core material.4–6
The amount of residual coronal dentine together with the
post placement can improve the failure resistance of end-
odontically treated teeth.2 The advent of advanced composites

* Corresponding author. Tel.: +39 0744 492946; fax: +39 0744 492950.
E-mail address: manilac@unipg.it (M. Chieruzzi).
Abbreviations: SEM, scanning electron microscope; FRC, fibre-reinforced composite.
0300-5712/$ – see front matter # 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jdent.2012.08.003
 journal of dentistry 40 (2012) 968–978
and ceramic materials has led to the development of a wide
variety of non-metal posts, including fibre-reinforced posts.
One of the major reasons that motivated researchers to find
alternative solutions to metal posts was to prevent root
fracture, which was the main cause of failure with this type of
restoration. It has been reported that the rigidity of metal
prefabricated posts may pose a risk and cause root fracture7–12
suggesting that the rigidity of the post should be equal or close
to that of the tooth to distribute the occlusal forces evenly
along the length of the root. The ideal post should provide
retention to the core, support the core and keep good adhesion
of the crown and transmit forces to the tooth avoiding root
fracture.13 In particular, to achieve optimum results, the
materials used to restore endodontically treated teeth should
have mechanical properties that are similar to those of
dentine.12,14 The main causes of failure for these materials
are loss of retention of posts or crowns, secondary caries, and
root fracture; less frequent causes of failure are post distortion
and post fracture.15,16 Posts made of different materials,
technologies, processes and morphologies have been used
during the past 20 years affecting the clinical performance.
The main kinds of posts are: metal posts and fibre reinforced
composite posts (FRC). Prefabricated and cast metal posts
were firstly used.1 The utilization of metal posts (with an
elastic modulus of 200 GPa) yields a root fracture index of
approximately 2–4%.9,10 Many studies concerning the me-
chanical properties of FRC posts have recently been pub-
lished.5,7,17–19 In particular, in vitro studies have shown that
FRC posts possess better mechanical properties over metal
posts due to their modulus of elasticity similar to that of
dentine (18 GPa) leading to a better load transfer to the root
structure.1,7,11,20–23 Recent studies on the clinical performance
of fibre posts indicate that fibre post placement in the
restoration of endodontically treated teeth may protect
against failure.3,24,25 While the use of metal posts leads more
frequently to root fracture, the most common type of failure
when FRC posts are used is post debonding. Moreover,
the analysis of long-term performance of these posts showed
that post debonding can be related to a small amount of
coronal dentine remained after endodontic treatment.26
All the fibre reinforced composite (FRC) posts are made of
two main components: the reinforcing fibres and the polymer
matrix. Matrix polymers are generally epoxy resins or other
thermosetting polymers with a high degree of conversion and
a highly cross-linked structure.17,27,28 Actually several types of
fibre posts are available. Other than an elasticity modulus
close to that of dentine a main clinical requirements of root
canal posts is a high flexural strength. When a fibre post is
excessively flexible, the force applied on the interface between
post, resin and dentine may lead to restoration fracture.29
The first FRC-posts were made of carbon/graphite fibres
due to their good mechanical properties. In fact teeth restored
with these posts are found to resist fracture propagation better
than teeth restored with titanium or metal posts.1,30 However,
they are black in colour and thus lack cosmetic qualities.31 For
this reason posts made of glass or silica fibres were introduced
to compensate the aesthetical limitations. They are white or
translucent and can be used in situations of higher cosmetic
demand. Glass fibre posts can be made of different types of
glasses. Electrical glass (E-glass) is the most commonly used
969
glass type in which the amorphous phase is a mixture of SiO2,
CaO, B2O3 and some other oxides of alkali metals. High
strength glass (S-glass) is also amorphous but differs in
composition. Additionally, glass fibre posts can also be made
of quartz-fibres. Quartz is pure silica in crystallized form, and
it is an inert material with a low coefficient of thermal
expansion (CTE).32
The mechanical properties strongly depend on the load
direction and on the structure of the materials. While metal
posts have a homogenous (isotropic) structure, FRC posts are
anisotropic. Consequently, the failure of composite materials
can be caused by different mechanism like matrix cracking,
fibre breakage, interface debonding and delamination.7
The thickness of FRC posts can also play a role in the
fracture strength of fibre post systems.33
Other factors may influence a good reconstruction: the
bonding at core-post interface, at dentine-post interface and
the type of material used for the adhesion between post and
root canal dentine. If the material used as cementation
material is a dual-cured resin, it is important to analyse the
effects of the light on the polymerization. A recent study
showed that fibre posts allow more light transmission into the
root canals. These posts displayed a higher polymerization
rate of surrounding resin cement, and less microleakage
respect to steel posts. However, the insufficient polymeriza-
tion of a dual-cured resin cement surrounding the posts at
apical region might influence the microleakage of post-
restored teeth.34
Another recent study revealed that chlorhexidine (CHX)
(used as final irrigant before endodontic obturation) can also
improve the push-out bond strength to dentine when
composite luting cements are used to bond the fibre posts
to root canal dentine. Moreover significant reduction of
adhesive failures towards dentine cohesive or mixed failures
can be obtained.35 The C-factor (cavity configuration factor) is
also important. It represents the ratio between bonded and
unbounded surfaces of the resin. The increase of this factor in
a fibre post-bonded root canal can induce a detrimental effect
on adhesion to root canal dentine.36
The technique utilised for the fibre post placement can also
affect the final behaviour of the system. Recently the sealing
properties of a one-step obturation post-placement technique
have been compared with a two-step technique (first step: root
filling with polymer-based thermoplastic material instead of
gutta-percha, second step: fibre post-placement after 24 h).37
The study showed that the seal of root canals achieved with
the one-step obturator is less effective than the two-step
procedure. In fact, with the one-step procedure, gaps were
observed between the sealer and the intraradicular dentine.
On the contrary with the two-step procedure less interfacial
defects can be found.
In order to understand the mechanical behaviour of FRC
posts several tests can be conducted. One of the most
important is the three-point bending test. In this case the
ratio between the span length L (distance between supports)
and the post diameter (d) affects the flexural behaviour of fibre
posts.1,23,38,39 In order to eliminate the shear effects during
three-point bending test is recommended, for high strength
engineering composites, a high L/d ratio (40:1 or 60:1). On the
contrary, a lower L/d ratio produces shear deformation in the
970 journal of dentistry 40 (2012) 968–978
FRC samples. The analysis of compressive behaviour in
vertical direction is also very important in dental applications
because teeth are often subjected to compression loads during
mastication. Moreover it is known that fibre composite
materials usually fail under compression loading parallel to
the fibre direction at lower stress than in tension loading. It is
still not clear how the different properties of FRC posts
influence their compressive strengths and moduli since the
literature is sparse with information on vertical compressive
behaviour. Scanning electron microscopy can also be useful to
evaluate the morphologic characteristics of single compo-
nents of endodontic reconstruction, the interfaces between
post and core unit and the presence of voids inside the
materials.40,42–44
In this work endodontic posts produced with different
materials (brass, carbon fibres, glass fibres and quartz fibres
reinforced composites) were studied. The aim of the work was
to assess their mechanical behaviour not only in bending but
also in compression and to analyse their microscopic
morphology and physical characteristics. By microscopic
analysis, the mechanical properties of FRC posts were
correlated to the quality of fibre–polymer matrix interface,
the distribution, the fibre diameter and the quantity of fibres
present, along with the fracture type in each post.
The null hypotheses tested were: (1) there is no difference
in the structural characteristics and in the percentage of voids
in the posts, (2) there is no difference in compressive and
flexural resistances among the different fibre posts, (3) the
presence of voids in posts does not affect the mechanical
behaviour of the different fibre posts.
2. Materials and methods
Six posts of different brands were selected for this study: a
metallic type made of brass and five FRC posts with different
diameters, and continuous unidirectional fibres (Fig. 1).
Table 1 shows the product name, the abbreviation used in
this article, the type of fibres and matrix and the mean post
diameter for each post. The medium size was selected for
the posts tested. A greater number of glass fibre posts were
analysed because glass fibres are the most widely used in
this application for their better aesthetic performances. FRC
posts are made of (1) spatially oriented reinforcement of
continuous elongated fibres, (2) a matrix of a proprietary
epoxy resin and (3) an interface: a bonding system between
the matrix and the fibre. The matrix of FRC posts is typically
an epoxy resin based on diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A
(DGEBA).
Table 1 – Post systems tested.
Product name Abbreviation Matrix
Evolution fibre post A Epoxy
Anatomical post B Epoxy
Relyx Fibre post C Epoxy
Lightpost D Epoxy
Millenium E Epoxy
Dentatus F Brass
Fig. 1 – Type of posts tested in this study: A-Evolution fibre
post, B-Anatomical post, C-Relyx fibre post, D-Lightpost,
E-Millenium, F-Dentatus.
2.1. Mechanical testing
Five samples of each type of post were tested in compression
using a material testing machine (LR30K, Lloyd Instruments
Ltd., Fareham, UK) at room temperature (25 8C) with a loading
cell of 30 kN. All posts were cut with a diamond blade in order
to obtain one dimension (the height) twice the other one (the
diameter). In this way every possible buckling phenomenon
was avoided. The samples obtained were then slightly glued
with an ethylene vinyl-acetate based hot melt adhesive
(Mastikol S.r.l., Torino, Italy) over the apparatus to keep the
posts in a vertical position during the test. The type of
glue used was not applied on the lower surface of the samples
but only on the lateral surfaces. In this way the test is still
correct because no artificial interface was created by the glue
itself (Fig. 2).
The samples were subjected to a compression force (F)
perpendicular to the top surface at a constant crosshead speed
of 2 mm/min until failure occurs.4,8,13 The load was applied on
the original surface and not on the cut one in order to avoid
premature failure and splitting of the specimen. The load–
deflection curves were recorded with PC-software (Nexygen,
Lloyd Instruments Ltd., Fareham, UK). The ultimate compres-
sive strength for all specimens (sc) was calculated by dividing
the maximum force by the area of the specimen10:
4Fmax
sc ¼ (1)
pd2
where Fmax is the applied load at the maximum of the curve (N)
and d is the specimen diameter (mm). The diameter of each
Fibre Mean post diameter (mm)
Glass 2.12
Glass 1.12
Glass 1.35
Quartz 1.50
Carbon 0.84
– 1.28
 journal of dentistry 40 (2012) 968–978
Fig. 2 – Post sample for compression test: sketch.
sample was measured with a digital calliper (Mitutoyo, Tokyo,
Japan) before the test with 0.01 mm accuracy. The elastic
modulus from the compression test (Ec) was calculated using
the following equation:
Sl
Ec ¼ (2)
A
where l is the specimen length (mm), A is the area of the post
and S is the compression stiffness.
The theoretical compressive strengths (sct) were also
evaluated with the Rosen model41:
Gm
s ct ¼ (3)
1vf
where Gm is the matrix shear modulus and vf is the fibre
volume fraction.
The posts were also subjected to three-point bending tests
and one of these was accurately chosen for the SEM evaluation
after the fracture event. The three-point bending test was
performed according to the ISO 10477 standard (span 8 mm,
crosshead speed 0.5 mm/min, cross-sectional diameter of
loading tip 2 mm). The diameter of each sample was measured
with the digital calliper as before in the midst of the two
supports. The material testing machine was the same used for
compression tests and the same loading cell of 30 kN was
used. Even after this test the load–deflection curves were
recorded. Flexural strength (sf), and modulus (Ef) of post
specimens were calculated with the following equations:
8Fmax L
sf ¼ 3
(4)
pd
4SL3
Ef ¼ (5)
3pd4
where Fmax is the applied load at the maximum of load–
deflection curve (N), L is the span length (mm), d is the speci-
men diameter (mm), S is the stiffness (as F/D where D is the
deflection corresponding to load F at a point in the straight-
line portion of the trace, N/m). The fracture load was also
recorded during the tests.
Both flexural and compressive data were subjected to one-
way ANOVA (SPSS10 Inc., Chicago, IL, USA) to determine the
statistical significance of the results obtained: the values
differed from one another with a significance level of p < 0.05.
971
The significant differences between groups and the multiple
comparisons were obtained with Tukey test.
2.2. SEM analysis
After flexural tests, the broken posts were fixed on metallic
stabs and covered with a thin film (15 nm, 99.99% of gold,
2  106 Torr) by thermal evaporation (Sistec thin film equip-
ment by Kenosistec Angelantoni Group, Massa Martana (PG),
Italy). The transverse sections were examined with a FE-SEM
(Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy, model SU-
PRA25, ZEISS, Oberkochen, Germany) in order to estimate the
fracture mechanism. For each type an image was taken for a
general examination of the post. The exact fibre diameter and
the percentage of fibre present in each post were calculated
with micrographs taken on other samples that were cut
horizontally with a slow-speed diamond saw under water
spray to produce a regular transverse section. The fibre
distribution was evaluated in an area of 101 mm  160 mm for
all posts but the E post (in this case the area was
48 mm  76 mm). The percentage of fibres was calculated
as the ratio between the area occupied by fibres (number of
fibres multiplied the area of each fibre) and the surface area
analysed.
2.3. Burn-off test
The posts were also subjected to high temperature to calculate
the fibre content in each kind of post here studied according to
ASTM D2584. Five samples for each post were considered and
the average of the results obtained is reported. Samples were
weighted and placed into a porcelain crucible of a known
weight. Each crucible was then introduced into a muffle
furnace in air atmosphere at temperatures above 600 8C for at
least one hour in order to eliminate the resin present in the
posts. The crucibles were then weighted after cooling to room
temperature. In this way the percentage of fibres present in
the posts was calculated as the ratio between the residue
weight after burning and the initial FRC weight. These
percentages were then reported as fibre volume fraction in
order to be compared with those obtained by analysing SEM
images. In order to do this operation the volume and the
density of each post should be known.
2.4. Density measurement and voids content
The fibre volume fraction of FRC posts is the ratio between the
volume of fibre and the total volume of the post. The volume of
fibre could in turn be calculated from the ratio of the mass
(calculated using the burn-off test) and the density of the fibre.
Since the volume of FRC posts was irregular and their densities
unknown, it was necessary to calculate the densities of all
posts. For this purpose the Archimedes’ Principle was used.
The density measurements were done at an analytical balance
(Mettler Toledo, type AB104-S; Greifensee, Switzerland) with
the help of a density kit as per ASTM D 792-66 test method. The
kit consisted of a glass beaker 250 ml with distilled water with
a density of 1 g/cm3 (Sigma–Aldrich Co., St. Louis, USA) placed
on a bridge across weighing pan. A gem holder was hooked on
the bridge and partially immersed in water. Each specimen
972 journal of dentistry 40 (2012) 968–978
was weighed in the air to obtain its dry weight, and then in the
water to obtain its wet weight. In this way it was possible to
find the experimental density (rpe) of each sample (and
consequently its volume) as follows:
mp
r pe ¼ r (6)
m p  ma w
where mp is the weight of the post in air (g), ma is the weight of
the post when immersed in water (g) and rw is the density of
water (g/cm3).
During the incorporation of fibres into the matrix air or
other volatiles may be trapped in the material. They are in the
composite as microvoids which may affect the overall
mechanical properties especially when the volume fraction
of voids is high. The negative effect of voids on compressive
and flexural properties of composites has been demonstrat-
ed.42–44 The evaluation of the voids content is then important
because it can give an estimate of the quality of the composite.
The volume fraction of voids (vv) in the FRC posts was
estimated by comparing the theoretical density of the post (rpt)
with the density obtained from experimental tests45:
r pe
vv ¼ 1  (7)
r pt
The theoretical density of each post was evaluated with the
rule of mixtures:
r pt ¼ r f v f þ rm ð1  v f Þ (8)
where rm and rf are the densities of the matrix and the fibre
respectively. The following values of density were considered
(expressed in g/cm3): 1.3 for epoxy matrix, 2.5 for glass fibres,
1.81 for carbon fibres and 2.65 for quartz fibres.
3. Results
The mean and standard deviation values of compressive
modulus, ultimate compressive strength and fracture load
obtained with at least five samples for each type of post are
listed in Table 2. The posts showed compressive moduli ranging
Table 2 – Compression results of the post systems tested.
Post type Compressive modulus
(GPa, mean (SD))
A 3.06 (1.19)
B 4.92 (1.01)
C 3.09 (1.39)
D 4.69 (0.62)
E 3.88 (0.29)
Table 3 – Flexural results of the post systems tested.
Post type Flexural modulus (GPa, mean (SD)) Flexural strength (MPa, mean (SD))
A 2.28 (0.44)
B 30.30 (0.92)
C 19.40 (0.54)
D 8.80 (0.95)
E 101.88 (3.19)
F 15.12 (3.35)
from 3.06 GPa (post A) to 4.92 GPa (post B). Post D showed the
greater maximum fracture load (1729.73 N) and the maximum
ultimate compressive strength (552.74 MPa). Fig. 7 shows
the compressive stress–strain curves of all FRC posts tested.
The post type A exhibited a higher compressive strain respect to
the other post specimens while the greater ultimate compres-
sive strength was showed by post D (as observed previously).
Statistical analysis on compression results showed significant
differences between posts. The Tukey test showed the highest
compressive strength obtained with D post with quartz fibres
was significantly different (with a probability level of p < 0.0001)
respect to posts A and C. It was about 3.69 times that of the
lowest one (exhibited by post A). In the case of compressive
moduli, all groups exhibited similar values. The differences
obtained with Tukey test for fracture load showed a probability
level of p < 0.0001 for post D compared to post A, C and E.
The mean and standard deviation values of flexural
modulus, flexural strength and fracture load of the posts
are listed in Table 3. Statistical analysis showed significant
differences between posts. The multiple comparison test
(Tukey test) showed that the highest flexural strength was
obtained for the E post with carbon fibres with a very wide
distribution of values for the different posts tested. The
highest value (post E) was significantly different (with a
probability level of p < 0.0001) and it was about 2.36 times that
of the lowest one (post A). The highest modulus was also
obtained for post E (101.88 GPa) and even in this case was
significantly different (with a probability level of p < 0.0001).
Post A showed the highest flexibility with the higher
maximum fracture load (213.1 N). The differences obtained
with Tukey test for this property showed in almost all pairs a
probability level of p < 0.0001. Only the differences with
respect to fracture load between C and F posts and between
B and E posts were not statistically significant.
The fracture load values correlated to the sections of the
posts are reported in Fig. 3. All FRC post specimens showed a
parabolic increasing resistance against loading force along
with an increase in diameter. Fig. 4 shows the flexural stress–
strain curves of all posts analysed. The brass post showed a
higher flexural strain respect to the other post specimens.
Compressive strength Maximum load
(MPa, mean (SD)) (N, mean (SD))
149.65 (8.92) 228.5 (26.49)
437.5 (114.42) 644.01 (238.25)
274.09 (48.38) 521.31 (87.68)
552.74 (103.82) 1729.73 (498.56)
173.15 (29.18) 288.24 (44.78)
Fracture load (N, mean (SD))
455.8 (38.6) 213.1 (18.1)
975.3 (134.2) 67.2 (9.2)
1223.6 (29.8) 147.7 (3.6)
1121.3 (92.5) 185.7 (15.3)
2078.2 (208.4) 60.4 (6.1)
959.9 (84.7) 131.7 (11.6)
 journal of dentistry 40 (2012) 968–978 973

Fig. 4 – Flexural stress–strain curves for all posts.

Fig. 3 – Parabolic curve of the bending fracture load vs post
section of FRC posts.

Fig. 5 – SEM micrographs of cross sectional surfaces of cut posts: (a) type A-Evolution fibre post, (b) type B-Anatomical post,
(c) type C-Relyx fibre post, (d) type D-Lightpost, (e) type E-Millenium.
974 journal of dentistry 40 (2012) 968–978

Table 4 – Fibre diameters, densities and fibre contents of FRC posts tested.
Post type Mean fibre diameter Experimental density Fibre contents from Fibre contents from
(mm) (g/cm3, mean (SD)) burn-off (vol.%, mean (SD)) micrographs (vol.%)
A 26.0 2.07 (0.04) 63.7 (0.8) 63.6
B 14.9 2.03 (0.02) 64.5 (0.7) 56.6
C 19.0 2.12 (0.04) 66.0 (0.8) 69.9
D 21.0 2.14 (0.01) 63.3 (0.7) 68.3
E 5.2 1.57 (0.03) 65.2 (5.2) 66.4

Structural characteristics of the five FRC posts were
obtained by SEM analysis of cut post cross sectional surfaces
(Table 4). The distribution of fibres in the posts and fibre
diameter were evaluated from Fig. 5 as well as the fibre volume
fractions. In post E the carbon fibres resulted the smallest in
diameter (5.2 mm) while in post A the glass fibre diameter was
the largest (26 mm). Furthermore, the fibre volume fractions
ranged from 56.6 (for post B) to 69.9 vol.% (for post C). In Table 4
the fibre volume fractions obtained with burn-off tests are also
reported. They show more comparable values between all FRC
posts with an average fibre content of 64.5%.
SEM micrographs of the fractured samples highlighted the
cohesive interface bonding between the fibres and the matrix
(Fig. 6). The ratios between the experimental and theoretical
strengths in compression (Rosen model) were about: 13% for
post B, 8% for post D and 5% for post E. The densities of all posts
obtained with Archimedes’ Principle (Table 4) were used along
with the theoretical densities (obtained with Eq. (8)) in Eq. (7) to
calculate the presence of voids in the posts. In particular, it
was found that posts B, D and E contained the following
volume fraction of voids: 1.97%, 0.60% and 3.77% respectively.
The other posts did not show a particular content of voids.

Fig. 6 – SEM micrographs of cross sectional surfaces of fractured posts showing debonding and fibre pull-out: (a) type A-
Evolution fibre post, (b) type B-Anatomical post, (c) type C-Relyx fibre post, (d) type D-Lightpost, (e) type E-Millenium.
 journal of dentistry 40 (2012) 968–978
4. Discussion
The mechanical characterization of dental posts especially in
compression and bending can provide useful information
about the future behaviour of posts in dental implants. The
mechanical properties in compression of each post resulted
lower than the same bending properties. In fact the posts are
made of unidirectional fibres embedded in epoxy matrix.
These materials show high properties in bending and in
tensile but in compression they are less efficient.
In particular, the compressive strength is affected most
because the fibres have less side support by the resin and
tend to fail at lower applied loads.46 The measured
longitudinal compressive strengths were much lower than
the theoretical values based on Rosen model. In this model
the strength is controlled by the matrix shear modulus and
fibre volume fraction. This means that the model predicts no
difference in compressive strength between composites
made with different fibres. But this work and others47
showed that the type of fibre plays an important role. In
order to improve the longitudinal compressive strength of
unidirectional composites it is possible to increase the
values of the matrix shear modulus, fibre diameter, matrix
ultimate strain, and fibre–matrix interfacial strength.45 A
factor that can be responsible of the reduction of longitudi-
nal compressive strength is the fibre misalignment. It is also
possible to suppose that the difference between the
experimental compression resistances with respect to
the theoretical compressive strengths was due even to the
presence of voids. In fact, the voids inside the posts act like
stress concentrators. At these sites failure can initiate and
then propagate. The pores inside the material may have a
significant effect in reducing the compressive strengths of
unidirectional fibre composites.48 In fact, considerable shear
stresses along the fibres arise near the pores and high axial
stresses are observed adjacent to the holes. The volume
fractions of voids obtained for all posts were not very high as
we could expect. The reason may be found in the fact that
the density of the matrix considered in the rule of mixtures
(Eq. (8)) was the same in the FRC posts as it is in the bulk
state.46 This fact may lead to lower voids content since the
real matrix density obtained with the production of
composite posts is higher than the bulk density.
Table 2 and Fig. 7 confirm also that the post with the lower
compressive modulus (post A) shows the higher deformation.
Even post E with carbon fibres presents low compressive
strength due to the fact they are very brittle fibres and they
break more easily than other fibres.
The flexural strengths of the posts here evaluated were
similar to other results obtained previously7,23 while they were
higher respect to other results reported in the scientific
literature.28,29 An explanation of this result is that the
manufacturing process acts a main role in the mechanical
performance of composites posts. In fact, during the process of
pultrusion (used to realize FRC posts) the introduction of
imperfections inside the composite and the imperfect align-
ment of fibres can reduce the flexural strength by acting both
on the initiation and propagation stages of failure (as it
happens to compressive properties).
975
Fig. 7 – Compressive stress–strain curves for FRC posts.
In the present study the results indicate that while the
increasing section clearly produces the expected increase in
flexural loading resistance, the parabolic form indicates a
lower efficiency of the thicker post (Fig. 3). The highest flexural
strain showed by brass post (Fig. 4) can be explained knowing
that brass is a more ductile material than fibre reinforced
composite while the FRC post curves confirm the moduli listed
in Table 3. In fact stress–strain curve of post E has a higher
slope (which is proportional to Young’s modulus).
The analysis of SEM images (Fig. 5) shows that the five posts
appeared quiet different especially with regard to the fibre
diameter. Post E in fact got clearly thinner fibres respect to the
other posts. Mechanical and microscopy results showed that
even if posts A, B and C contain the same type of fibre (glass
fibres) in a similar percentage (63.7–64.5–66% respectively)
they show a different bending behaviour. The comparison of
flexural strengths of these posts showed a lower value
obtained for post A and higher value for post C. In particular,
if we consider the span/diameter ratio L/d of every post, the
post B (with the higher L/d ratio among the glass posts)
showed, as expected, a higher flexural modulus but also a
lower maximum load fracture. This can be attributed to an
increased shear stress developed in the sample.38 It can be also
related to a lower strength of the resin matrix used in post B.
These results show that the difference in fibre diameter, fibre
content and type of fibre, contribute coherently to the overall
mechanical characteristics of FRC posts.22
SEM micrographs of the fractured samples showed that in
all posts fibre pull-out from surrounding matrix occurred. In
fact, when the load increases the opening of the matrix crack
may cause broken fibres to pull-out from the matrix (Fig. 6).
The chemical bond of the fibres with the surrounding matrix is
an important factor that can explain the difference in
mechanical properties showed by the posts. Since FRC posts
are made of two components (fibres and matrix) the overall
mechanical properties of posts are also influenced by the
strength of the bond at the interface between them.49 The
interface is then the critical region (even in the case of
compressive loading).32,50 If the interfacial shear stresses are
976 journal of dentistry 40 (2012) 968–978
very high a partial or complete debonding of the broken fibre
from the surrounding matrix can take place. The different
elastic modulus of fibres and matrix causes high stresses at
the interface between them and propagate along the surface of
the fibres when the posts are loaded. This leads to the
interfacial slip between the broken fibre and the matrix with a
stress magnification in the adjacent fibres. The stress
components are capable of debonding the fibres from the
surrounding matrix even before they fail. The adhesion and
debonding behaviour at the fibre–matrix interface play an
important role on the fracture behaviour of the matrix during
fibre pull-out. When the interface bond failure is partially
cohesive, the matrix is severely fractured during fibre pullout;
when it is adhesive, there is minor matrix damage during fibre
pullout. Moreover, the voids in the matrix (as mentioned
above) can represent a cause of debonding between fibres and
matrix since they can promote water absorption in the resin
and decrease the mechanical properties of the composite.9,51–
55
In addition, the post type seems to be the main factor for
bond strength so major attention must be paid on post type.56
The post retention can be improved with chemical surface
treatments or mechanical treatments that lead to a better
adhesion between fibre posts and composite resin core
materials.57–63 There are different procedures like silanization
and adhesive application, acid etching, airborne-particle
abrasion, and silica coating, or ageing procedures (thermal
cycling, water storage)64,65 that can be applied with this
purpose. A recent study showed that hydrofluoric acid and
hydrogen peroxide can modify the surface morphology of fibre
posts and combined with silane, they can enhance the
interfacial bond strength between posts and core materials.66
Another study reported that not only immersion in
hydrofluoric acid gel followed by silanization may influence
the surface of fibre posts but also sandblasting with alumini-
um oxide particles followed by the application of a silane
coupling agent may affect the bonding capacity of resin–core
systems to the fibre posts.67
The retentive bond strengths can differ with respect to the
surface treatment and conditioning method as well as with
composite resin. Tribochemical treatments may be useful for
improving the bond strength with composite resin cores and
enhancing post-and-core stability without compromising the
flexural strength of the posts.68,69
The results of this study require rejection of the three null
hypotheses. In fact, the study showed that differences exist
among different fibre posts analysed respect to their structural
characteristics and presence of voids (first hypothesis).
Different posts showed different compressive and flexural
strengths (second hypothesis) and the voids may affect the
mechanical strengths of fibre posts (both in compression and
in bending: third hypothesis).
5. Conclusions
Under the limitations of the study the following conclusions
can be drawn:
- the highest compressive modulus is obtained with post B
(4.92 GPa) while post A shows the lower one;
- post D shows the greater maximum compressive fracture
load (1729.73 N) and the maximum ultimate compressive
strength (552.74 MPa);
- post A with glass fibres and the lowest L/d shows the lowest
flexural strength with most favourable distribution, while
post E with carbon fibres shows the largest stress with
highest stress concentration;
- post E shows the highest flexural modulus (about 100 GPa);
however, it should be noted that it offers a poor behaviour in
compression following the well-known limitations of carbon
fibres under compressive load. Consequently, the maximum
flexural load recorded is related to post A with the highest
diameter and the lower to post E with carbon fibres;
- the fibre diameters range from 5.2 to 26 mm. The volume
percentage of fibres in the posts is close to 64.5%;
- the content of voids present in some FRC posts may be the
responsible of lower mechanical properties;
- compressive properties are lower than flexural properties.
The first two null hypotheses were rejected since the study
showed that differences exist among different fibre posts
analysed respect to their structural characteristics, presence
of voids, mechanical resistance. Finally the third hypothesis
was also rejected because this study showed that the voids
may affect the mechanical strengths of fibre posts both in
compression and in bending.
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