A study of some physical and mechanical properties of metal filled acrylic resin

This study was performed to evaluate the effect of adding tin or aluminum powder with average particle size of 10/u.m to heat curing acrylic resin in a concentration of 5% by volume. Four physical and mechanical properties were tested for the purpose of this evaluation: thermal conductivity, impact strength, compressive strength, and warpage. The addition of 5% by volume of either metal powder to polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) improved the four tested properties. However, tin powder was superior to aluminum powder in improving the impact and compressive strength of PMMA, while aluminum powder was superior to tin powder in improving thermal conductivity of PMMA and decreasing its warpage. Both metal powders caused undesirable discoloration to the heat curing acrylic resin. The use of metal-filled resin is therefore recommended in the areas where it is not displayed to get the benefit of improved physical and mechanical properties of PMMA