Local Mechanical Characterization of Human Teeth by Instrumented Indentation
The mechanical characteristics of dentine have been investigated on local scale by micro-hardness and instrumented indentation tests. FIMEC, an indentation technique employing a cylindrical punch, permitted measurements of elastic modulus, yield stress, stress-relaxation and creep. The punch diameter (Φ = 0.5 mm) is much larger than the tubule size thus data are not so largely scattered as in micro- and nano-indentation tests but, at the same time, is small enough to guarantee a good resolution in mapping the mechanical properties in different tooth positions. The results are in agreement with literature data obtained by means of various experimental techniques. Furthermore, through tests of mechanical spectroscopy carried out on bar-shaped samples (13 mm x 4 mm x 0.8 mm) the dynamic modulus and the damping factor Q-1 have been measured.