Activities

FRACTODENT Research Fund | Best-Fracto-Photo-Award | Fracto Course | Fracto Literature 

FRACTODENT Research Fund 2024

The Fracto Forum International e.V. (FFI) announces the FRACTODENT Research Fund 2024.

This research fund aims to promote fractographic research into fracture mechanics of brittle dental materials including experimental and clinical research studies. It is further aimed to foster collaborations between research centers with expertise in dental fractography or individually trained dental fractographers.

The FRACTODENT research fund aims to fund one research person who is intending to perform an outlined fractographic study in a research laboratory of a different institution. The applicant must have either participated on one of the Fracto courses or connect his/her research to the upcoming Fracto course. The applicant should submit a two-page project description, a full CV, as well as one and letter of intention from the home supervisor and one letter of acceptance from the hosting institution to info@fractography.org, The deadline for submission is July 31, 2024.

The hosting research institution must have expertise in dental fractography (former Fracto Course participation and continuing activity in the field of dental fractography or fracture mechanics or similar prove of expertise). The hosting supervisor need to be FFI members in good standing.

FRACTODENT covers travel costs between the applicant and the hosting institution, limited to a maximum of 5.000 Euro. This fund intends to cover the research stay of approximately two weeks in the hosting institution. Valid costs are flight ticket (economy fare), accommodation and a per diem for the applicant (according to BayRKG). No costs will be covered for the hosting institution. Combination with other types of funding are not applicable.

The submissions will be reviewed by an independent panel. The project needs to be concluded not later than December 31, 2025.

FFI expects the hosting institution of offer a free research stay for the applicant and free use of scientific instruments. The scientific outcome of this research collaboration needs to be acknowledged in upcoming publications.

Best-Fracto-Photo Award 2024

The Fracto Forum International e.V. (FFI) announces the Best Fracto-Photo Award Competition 2024.

This award is related to fracture mechanics of brittle materials and photo submissions are welcome from any field of clinical or experimental research in dental fractography.

FFI members in good standing are welcome to submit their photos by July 31, 2024. Photos must not be published, artificially modified or KI optimized. Only one submission per person is allowed. Applicant should submit to info@fractography.org, including a short CV and brief outline of the photo history or caption of the subject. The deadline for submission is July 31, 2024.

The submissions will be reviewed by an independent award panel. The Best Fracto-Photo of the year will be published on the FFI Website. A certificate and a financial Award of 500 Euro is awarded to the applicant by the time of the FFI next business meeting.

Fracto Course

Fracto course 2024

With fresh spirit we are now pleased to announce a new release of the Fracto Course in 2024. We are connected to the annual meeting of the Academy of Dental Materials. Our corse will take place between October 8-10 in the Piemont area, close to Torino, Italy. 

The focus of this 3 days course is on hands-on practical and clinical aspects related to in vitro and in vivo fractography.

The venue is the Monastero di Cherasco and is located 50 km south of Torino, in the heart of the Piemont winegrowing region. The Hotel offers a variety of classic (129 Euro), Deluxe (149 Euro) and Junior Suite Rooms (169 Euro). In case of a successful registration, please contact the Hotel directly (info@monasterocherasco.it) and refer to "Fracto Forum International e.V. - Dr. Lohbauer".

The venue is accessible by train from Torino to Bra. From there we can pick you up individually.

We are planning with a maximum of 15 participants and aim to present a balanced mix between basic knowledge into fractography, fracture mechanics, hands-on with stereo microscopes, and interactive case presentations in clincial fractography. Aiming to add fresh perspectives into advanced fractography, we invite world wide leaders in fractography to share and discuss their knowledge.

A tentative program schedule can be found here:

Program Fractocourse 2024

The program is spread over 3 days. The registration fee for the 2024 Fracto Course is 1000,00 € and includs the FFI membership fee for 2024, comprehensive course material (book and script) as well as food & beverages during the day and a social dinner on one of the course days.

Registration Procedure (For future courses):

Step 1.

Send an E-Mail to: info@fractography.org. The participants will be taken on a first come first serve basis. We will respond with acceptance as soon as possible!

Step 2.

After acceptance, please submit the Registration fee (1000,00 €uro).

(please notice our below cancellation and refund policy).

Via PayPal:

Your full name:

or by bank transfer:

Fracto Forum International
IBAN: DE53 7635 0000 0060 0556 24
BIC: BYLADEM1ERH

Fracto Course Cancellation and Refund Policy

The Fracto Forum International e.V. (FFI) reserves the right to cancel, modify or delay the Fracto Course. In case of cancellation, all paid registration fees are refunded to the same source (person & method of payment) where it came from. In case of moving dates of the Fracto Course, individual regulations will be found by FFI in favor of the registrant.
Individual cancellations by an already registered person must be made in writing not later than six weeks prior to the Fracto Course (cancellation deadline). All paid registration fees are refunded to the same source (person & method of payment) where it came from. An administrative fee of 50 Euro applies upon cancellation.
In case of individual cancellations after the deadline, no refunds will be paid.
Further, no refunds will be paid upon late arrival, early departure or non-attendance of a registered person. The FFI is not responsible for any costs or losses associated with travel arrangements connected to the Fracto Course. Please make sure to adequately effect insurance of your travel.

Fracto Literature

Books on Fractography

• Quinn G. Fractography of Ceramics and Glasses, 3rd edition. NIST Spec. Publ. 960-16 3rd ed., Natl. Inst. Stand. Technol., Washington, USA, 2020. Downloadlink: https://www.nist.gov/publications/nist-recommended-practice-guide-fractography-ceramics-and-glasses-3rd-edition
• Mecholsky JJ, Powell SR. Fractography of Ceramic and Metal Failures: A Symposium. ASTM International, Baltimore, USA, 1984.
• Broek D. The Practical Use of Fracture Mechanics. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, NL, 1989 (ISBN 90-247-3707-9).
• Roulin-Moloney AC. Fractography and Failure Mechanisms of Polymers and Composites. Elsevier, London, UK, 1989 (ISBN 1-85166-296-0).
• Frechette VD. Failure Analysis of Brittle Materials. Advances in Ceramics Vol. 28, The American Ceramic Society, Westerville, USA, 1990 (ISBN 0-944904-30-0).
• Strauss BM, Putatunda SK. Quantitative Methods in Fractography, STP1085, ASTM International, Philadelphia, USA, 1990 (ISBN 0-8031-1387-0).
• Hull D. Fractography – Observing, Measuring, and Interpreting Fracture Surface Topography. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK, 1999 (ISBN 0-521-64082-2).
• Morrell R. Fractography of Brittle Materials. National Physical Laboratory, USA, 1999.
• Woodtli J. Praktische Fraktografie. Forschnugsanstalt EMPA, Dübendorf, CH, 2003 (ISBN 3-905594-37-4).
• Greenhalgh E. Failure analysis and fractography of polymer composites. Woodhead Publishing, Cambridge, UK, 2009 (ISBN 9781845692179).
• Varner JR, Wightman M. Fractography of Glasses and Ceramics VI. Ceramic Transactions, Volume 230, Wiley, USA, 2012 (ISBN 978-1-118-27373-9).
• Freiman SW, Mecholsky JJ. The Fracture of Brittle Materials: Testing and Analysis. The American Ceramic Society, Wiley, USA, 2012 (ISBN 978-0-470-15586-8).
• Hayes MD, Edwards DB, Shah AR. Fractography in Failure Analysis of polymers. Elsevier, Amsterdam, NL, 2015 (ISBN: 9780323242721).
• Robinson P, Greenhalgh E, Pinho S. Failure mechanisms in polymer matrix composites – criteria, testing and industrial applications. Woodhead Publishing, Cambridge, UK, 2016 (ISBN 9780081016534).
• Mattheck C. The face of failure in nature and engineering. Karlsruhe, Germany: Karlsruhe Institute of Technology; 2004.
• Lohbauer U, Belli R. Dental ceramics - Fracture Mechanics and engineering Design. Springer Nature, Switzerland, 2022 (ISBN 978-3-030-94686-9).

Standards on Fractography

• EN 843-6:2009-12: Advanced technical ceramics – Mechanical properties of monolithic ceramics at room temperature - Part 6: Guidance for fractographic investigation
• ASTM C 1678-10 (2015): Standard Practice for Fractographic Analysis of Fracture Mirror Sizes in Ceramics and Glasses
• ASTM C 1322-15: Standard Practice for Fractography and Characterization of Fracture Origins in Advanced Ceramics.
• ASTM C 1256: Standard Practice for Interpreting Glass Fracture Surface Features.
• Morrell R. Measurement Good Practice Guide No. 15 - Fractography of Brittle Materials. Teddington, UK: National Physical Laboratory; 1999.
• Scherrer SS, Lohbauer U, Della Bona A, Vichi A, Tholey MJ, Kelly JR, van Noort R, Cesar PF. ADM guidance-Ceramics: guidance to the use of fractography in failure analysis of brittle materials. Dent Mater 2017;33:599-620.

Papers on Fractography

• Kelly R, Giordano R, Pober R, Cima MJ. Fracture surface analysis of dental ceramics: clinically failed restorations. International Journal of Prosthodontics 1990;3:430-440.
• Scherrer SS, Quinn JB, Quinn GD, Kelly JR. Failure analysis of ceramic clinical cases using qualitative fractography. International Journal of Prosthodontics 2006;19:185-192.
• Scherrer SS, Quinn JB, Quinn GD, Wiskott HW. Fractographic ceramic failure analysis using the replica technique. Dental Materials 2007;23:1397-404.
• Scherrer SS, Quinn GD, Quinn JB. Fractographic failure analysis of a Procera AllCeram crown using stereo and scanning electron microscopy. Dental Materials 2008;24:1107-13.
• Swain MV. Unstable cracking (chipping) of veneering porcelain on all-ceramic dental crowns and fixed partial dentures. Acta Biomaterialia 2009;5:1668-77.
• Lohbauer U, Amberger G, Quinn GD, Scherrer SS. Fractographic analysis of a dental zirconia framework: a case study on design issues. Journal of the Mechanical Behavior of Biomedical Materials 2010;3:623-9.
• Quinn JB, Quinn GD. Material properties and fractography of an indirect dental resin composite. Dent Mater. 2010;26(6):589-99.
• Campos RE, Soares CJ, Quagliatto PS, Soares PV, de Oliveira OB Jr, Santos-Filho PC, Salazar-Marocho SM. In vitro study of fracture load and fracture pattern of ceramic crowns: a finite element and fractography analysis. J Prosthodont. 2011;20(6):447-55.
• Quinn GD, Hoffman K, Quinn JB. Strength and fracture origins of a feldspathic porcelain. Dent Mater. 2012;28(5):502-11.
• Bonfante EA, Suzuki M, Lubelski W, Thompson VP, de Carvalho RM, Witek L, Coelho PG. Abutment design for implant-supported indirect composite molar crowns: reliability and fractography. J Prosthodont. 2012;21(8):596-603.
• Quinn GD, Hoffman K, Scherrer S, Lohbauer U, Amberger G, Karl M, Kelly JR. Fractographic Analysis of Broken Ceramic Dental Restorations. In : Fractography of Glasses and Ceramics VI. Ceram Trans 230 (2012) 161-174.
• Øilo M. Kvam K, Tibballs JE, Gjerdet NR. Clinically relevant fracture testing of all ceramic crowns. Dent Mater 2013; 29: 815-23.
• Øilo M, Gjerdet NR. Fractographic analyses of all-ceramic crowns: A study of 27 clinically fractured crowns. Dent Mater 2013; 29: e78-e84.
• Osman RB, Ma S, Duncan W, De Silva RK, Siddiqi A, Swain MV. Fractured zirconia implants and related implant designs: scanning electron microscopy analysis. Clin Oral Implants Res. 2013;24(5):592-7.
• Belli R, Scherrer SS, Reich S, Petschelt A, Lohbauer U. In vivo shell-like fractures of veneered-ZrO2 fixed dental prostheses. Case Stud Eng Fail Anal 2014;2:91-9.
• Lohbauer U, Belli R, Arnetzl G, Scherrer S, Quinn GD. Fracture of a veneered-ZrO2 dental prosthesis from an inner thermal crack. Case Stud Eng Fail Anal 2014;2:100-6.
• Øilo M, Kvam K, Reisegg K, Gjerdet NR. The effects of margin curvature on load at fracture of ceramic crowns, Int J prosthodontic, In press Øilo M, Kvam K, Gjerdet NR. Simulation of clinical fractures for three different all-ceramic incisor crowns. Eur J Oral Sci 2014, 122: 245-50.
• Øilo M, Hardang AD, Ulsund AH. Gjerdet NR. Fractographic features of glass-ceramic and zirconia-based dental restorations fractured during clinical function. Eur J Oral Sci, 2014, 122; 238-44.
• Esquivel-Upshaw JF, Mehler A, Clark AE, Neal D, Anusavice KJ. Fracture analysis of randomized implant-supported fixed dental prostheses. J Dent. 2014;42(10):1335-42.
• Quinn GD, Giuseppetti AA, Hoffman KH. Chipping fracture resistance of dental CAD/CAM restorative materials: part I--procedures and results. Dent Mater. 2014;30(5):e99-e111.
• Du Q, Swain MV, Zhao K. Fractographic analysis of anterior bilayered ceramic crowns that failed by veneer chipping. Quintessence Int. 2014;45(5):369-76.
• Pang Z, Chughtai A, Sailer I, Zhang Y. A fractographic study of clinically retrieved zirconia-ceramic and metal-ceramic fixed dental prostheses. Dent Mater. 2015;31(10):1198-206.
• Costa AK, Kelly RD, Fleming GJ, Borges AL, Addison O. Laminated ceramics with elastic interfaces: a mechanical advantage? J Dent. 2015;43(3):335-41.
• Belli R, Petschelt A, Hofner B, Hajtó J, Scherrer SS, Lohbauer U. Fracture Rates and Lifetime Estimations of CAD/CAM All-ceramic Restorations. J Dent Res. 2016;95:67-73.
• Basílio Mde A, Delben JA, Cesar PF, Rizkalla AS, Santos Junior GC, Arioli Filho JN. Failure modes of Y-TZP abutments with external hex implant-abutment connection determined by fractographic analysis. J Mech Behav Biomed Mater. 2016;60:187-94.
• Ramos CM, Cesar PF, Bonfante EA, Rubo JH, Wang L, Borges AF. Fractographic principles applied to Y-TZP mechanical behavior analysis. J Mech Behav Biomed Mater. 2016;57:215-23.
• Øilo M, Quinn GD. Fracture origins in twenty-two dental alumina crowns. J Mech Behav Biomed Mater. 2016;53:93-103.
• Belli R, Scherrer SS, Lohbauer U. Report on fractures of trilayered all-ceramic fixed dental prostheses. Case Stud Eng Fail Anal 2016;7:71-79.
• Lohbauer U, Belli R, Cune MS, Schepke U. Fractography of clinically fractured, implant-supported dental computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing crowns. SAGE Open Med Case Rep. 2017;22:5:2050313X17741015.
• Griggs JA. Using fractal geometry to examine failed implants and prostheses. Dent Mater 2018;34:1748-1755.
• Lohbauer U, Wendler M, Rapp D, Belli R. Fractographic analysis of lithium silicate crown failures during sintering. SAGE Open Med Case Rep. 2019;21:7:2050313X19838962.
• Belli R, Volkl H, Csato S, Tremmel S, Wartzack S, Lohbauer U. Development of a hoop-strength test for model sphero-cylindrical dental ceramic crowns: FEA and fractography. J Eur Ceram Soc. 2020;40(14):4753-64.
• Harrer W, Morrell R, Danzer R. Fractography of biaxial tested Si3N4-specimens. J Eur Ceram Soc. 2014;34(14):3283-9.
• Saratti CM, Rocca GT, Durual S, Lohbauer U, Ferracane JL, Scherrer SS.
  Fractography of clinical failures of indirect resin composite endocrown and
  overlay restorations. Dent Mater. 2021;37(6):e341-e359.
• Spintzyk S, Geis-Gerstorfer J, Bourauel C, Keilig L, Lohbauer U, Brune A, Greuling A, Arnold C, Rues S, Adjiski R, Sawada T, Lümkemann N, Stawarczyk B, Ilie N, Frankenberger R, Dudek MC, Strickstrock M, Begand S. Biaxial flexural strength of zirconia: A round robin test with 12 laboratories. Dent Mater. 2021;37(2):284-295.
• Liu C, Eser A, Albrecht T, Stournari V, Felder M, Heintze S, Broeckmann C. Strength characterization and lifetime prediction of dental ceramic materials. Dent Mater. 2021;37(1):94-105.
• Brandeburski SBN, Della Bona A. Quantitative and qualitative analyses of ceramic chipping. J Mech Behav Biomed Mater. 2020;110:103928.
• Jodha KS, Salazar Marocho SM, Scherrer SS, Griggs JA. Fractal analysis at varying locations of clinically failed zirconia dental implants. Dent Mater. 2020;36(8):1052-1058.
• Romanini-Junior JC, Hirata R, Bonfante EA, Bordin D, Kumagai RY, Fardin VP, Coelho PG, Reis AF. Monolithic CAD/CAM laminate veneers: Reliability and failure modes. Dent Mater. 2020;36(6):724-732.
• Garbelotto LGD, Fukushima KA, Özcan M, Cesar PF, Volpato CAM. Chipping of veneering ceramic on a lithium disilicate anterior single crown: Description of repair method and a fractographic failure analysis. J Esthet Restor Dent. 2019;31(4):299-303.
• Scherrer SS, Mekki M, Crottaz C, Gahlert M, Romelli E, Marger L, Durual S, Vittecoq E. Translational research on clinically failed zirconia implants. Dent Mater. 2019;35(2):368-388.
• Fractography of clinical failures of indirect resin composite endocrown and overlay restorations. Saratti CM, Rocca GT, Durual S, Lohbauer U, Ferracane JL, Scherrer SS. Dent Mater 2021;37:e341–e359.
• Zhang F, Monzavi M, Li M, Čokić S, Manesh A, Nowzari H, Vleugels J, Van Meerbeek B. Fracture analysis of one/two-piece clinically failed zirconia dental implants. Dent Mater; article in press.