Studies on the Manipulative Factors that have Important Effects on the Tensile Strength of Amalgam by

The physical properties of amalgam are influenced by various manipulative factors such as mercury-alloy ratio, mixing time, existence of a ball in the capsule in the process of mixing, condensation pressure and the twisting movement given to the amalgam mix by the plugger in the process of condensation[1-8]. These factors, on the whole, determine the properties of amalgam restorations. It is clinically very important to determine these manipulative factors and especially those that have a remarkable effect on its properties. The experiments done in the present study to determine the manipulative factors that dominate the properties of amalgam and the effects of these factors on its tensile strength, which is one of the important properties of amalgam, were analyzed to establish its optimum manipulative conditions.