The effect of different ceramic materials on the fracture resistance of dentin-bonded crowns

Using stereomicroscopy, light microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy, we investigated the development of vasa vasorum in the proliferated neointima of the autovein graft and its anastomoses implanted in the canine femoral artery against a background of poor distal runoff. In the stereomicroscopic examination, a microfil silicone rubber compound (MF) was injected transluminally or via perivascular vasa, and the vascular specimen was prepared for clearing by immersion in a methyl-salicylate solution. Vessel interstices filled with MF were found adjacent to the suture materials within 5 days of grafting. Fourteen days after implantation, luminally originating vasa vasorum were often visible in the neointima along the suture line and distributed into the media and adventitia connecting to the original vasa vasorum. At 6 months or more after grafting, many orifices of luminally originating vasa vasorum were seen along the suture line of both proximal end-to-end and distal end-to-side anastomoses and distributed into the thickened neointima forming a vasa network when the neointima had proliferated to over 250 microm in depth. On the other hand, some clefts filled with MF were found in mural thrombi deposited on the vascular sinus of the graft within 5 days, and these appeared to be one of the sources of luminally originating vasa vasorum on the graft distant from the suture line. Moreover, the development of numerous vasa vasorum was constantly demonstrated in the neointima when it had proliferated to over 250 microm in depth.     

The effect of matrix strength on the fracture resistance of an alpha-Beta titanium alloy,corona-5

This paper presents the results of a study of the effect of matrix yield strength, at constant Widmanstätten α microstructure, on the fracture resistance of an α-β Ti alloy, CORONA-5. Fracture initiation resistance,J _q, and the stable crack growth resistance,T, were evaluated by the single specimen, unloading compliance method for four different microstructures and three yield strengths. The microstructures involved coarse or fine Widmanstätten α particles in a heat treated β-matrix; the yield strength ranged from 765 to 1018 MPa. It was found thatJ _q/σ_Y, where σ_Y is the effective yield strength, decreased with increasingσ _Y.T/σ _Y also decreased with increasing σ_Y for fine structures. For the coarse α structures, however, T/σ_Y revealed intermediate maxima. Coarser structures, in general, revealed higher values ofJ _q/σ_Y andT/σ _Y. The cause was found primarily to be due to the effect of increased α particle thickness. The effect of grain size was secondary. J_q/σ_Y increased with increasing tensile strain hardening rate, obtained at the onset of void nucleation. T/σ_Y was found to decrease with increasing tensile void growth rate. In general, J_q/σ_Y and T/σ_Y revealed different relationships with microstructure. Fatigue precrack front- and the stable crack length-tortuosities did not yield any general relationship to fracture resistance at different yield strengths.     

The fracture resistance of dental materials

A novel test procedure was developed that provides the basis for a standard plain strain fracture toughness test to evaluate fracture resistance of resin-based materials. This procedure utilizes a notched disc specimen. Using this technique, a new concept of Torque to initiate fracture (T)' was suggested. Also, fracture resistance can be assessed by means of critical stress intensity factor (K[IC]). Using this method, the fracture resistance of direct restorative materials, resin-based inlay/onlays and luting cements can be evaluated.     

The effect of constraint on elastic-plastic fracture

The influence of the local constraint in the near field zone of cracks in terms of the parameter σ_m/σ_v = f (r, θ, s) on fracture initiation and fracture resistance is investigated for several crack configurations in specimens and components. Experimental results from various authors are compared with corresponding numerical findings. Methods to transfer test results obtained for specimens to more complex situations in components are reported.     

The effect of dentin primer on the tensile bond strength to human enamel

Four third-generation dentin bonding products (Scotchbond Multi-Purpose, Optibond, All-Bond 2, and Prisma Universal Bond 3) were tested to evaluate their tensile bond strength to enamel. Test enamel specimens were etched, primed, and polymerized according to each manufacturer's directions. Control specimens were treated identically except the primer application was eliminated. The results demonstrated that the dentin primer significantly increased the tensile bond strength of All-Bond 2, significantly decreased the tensile bond strength of Scotchbond Multi-Purpose and Optibond, and had no significant effect for Prisma Universal Bond 3. A one-way analysis of variance was run between the eight groups tested, and three significant subsets were found (P < .05). The subset with the highest mean tensile bond strengths consisted of Prisma Universal Bond 3 primed and nonprimed, All-Bond 2 primed, and Optibond nonprimed.     

Laser-induced photoacoustic effects in the dentin]

To study photoacoustic effects in dentin caused by UV-laser ablation, laser-induced shockwaves were measured using piezoelectric PVDF films. Above the tissue-specific energy threshold for photoablation the amplitude of the acoustic shock waves is proportional to the applied laser energy density. Laser energy densities of 2 J/cm2 cause pressure amplitudes of 50 bar, densities of 20 J/cm2 cause pressure amplitudes of 1000 bar. To avoid microcracks in dentine the maximum laser energy density to prepare dentin should be limited to approximately 20 J/cm2.     

The fatigue and fracture resistance of a Nb-Cr-Ti-Al alloy

The microstructure, fatigue, and fracture behaviors of a cast and heat-treated Nb-Cr-Ti-Al alloy were investigated. The microstructure of the cast alloy was manipulated by annealing at a temperature ranging from 500 °C to 1500 °C for 1 to 24 hours. The heat treatment produced Cr₂Nb precipitates along grain boundaries in all cases except in the 500 °C heat-treated material. Fracture toughness tests indicated low fracture resistance in both the as-cast and heat-treated materials. Fatigue crack growth tests performed on the 500 °C heat-treated material also indicated a low fatigue crack growth resistance. Direct observations of the near-tip region revealed a cleavage-dominated fracture process, in accordance with fractographic evidence. The fracture behavior of the Nb-Cr-Ti-Al alloy was compared to that of other Nb-Cr-Ti alloys. In addition, theoretical calculations of both the unstable stacking energy (USE) and Peierls-Nabarro (P-N) barrier energy are used to elucidate the role of Al additions in cleavage fracture of the Nb-Cr-Ti-Al alloy. The results indicate that an Al alloying addition increases the USE, which, in turn, prevents the emission of dislocations, promotes the nucleation and propagation of cleavage cracks from the crack tip, and leads to a reduction in the fracture toughness.     

The effect of microetching on the bond strength of metal brackets when bonded to previously bonded teeth: an in vitro study

The purpose of this in vitro study was to answer the following questions for three different metal brackets: (1) when rebonding a previously bonded tooth, how do shear bond strengths compare for new brackets, new microetched brackets, and debonded microetcher cleaned brackets? and (2) how do the different bracket types compare with respect to the time required to remove composite resin from their bonding pads with a microetcher? Ninety human premolars and canines previously debonded of metal brackets were randomly assigned to 9 groups of 10 teeth each. New, new etched, and debonded etched cleaned brackets of each type were bonded with composite resin onto teeth, and the bonds tested to failure for shear bond strength. An analysis of variance and Duncan's multiple range test were used to compare bracket/enamel bond strength. Within each bracket type no significant differences were found between mean bond strengths for new, new etched, and debonded etched conditions, a finding that supports the use of microetching to clean accidentally debonded brackets. Mean times for removal of resin from bonding pads with a microetcher varied from 9.3 seconds to 11.9 seconds, with bracket (M) requiring significantly less time for removal of resin.     

The effect of hydrogen on the fracture of alloy x-750

The effect of hydrogen on the fracture of a nickel-base superalloy, alloy X-750, was investigated in the HTH condition. The effect of hydrogen was examined through tensile testing incorporating observations from scanning electron microscopy and light microscopy. The ductility at 25 °C, as measured by elongation to failure for tensile specimens, was reduced from 21 pct for noncharged specimens to 7.3 pct for 5.7 ppm hydrogen and to 3.5 pct for 65 ppm hydrogen. The elongation to failure was a function of the strain rate and test temperature. For hydrogen-charged specimens, the elongation decreased as the strain rate decreased at a constant temperature, while for a constant strain rate and varying temperature, there was a maximum in embrittlement near 25 °C and no embrittlement at -196 °C. For the noncharged specimens, the elongation monotonically increased as temperature increased, while there was no noticeable effect of strain rate. Prestraining prior to charging dramatically decreased elongation after hydrogen charging. When the strain rate was increased on the prestrained specimens, more plastic deformation was observed prior to failure. Failure did not occur until the flow stress was reached, supporting the proposition that plasticity is required for failure. The intergranular failure mechanism in alloy X-750 was a microvoid initiation process at grain boundary carbides followed by void growth and coalescence. The void initiation strain, as determined from tensile data and from sectioning unfractured specimens, was observed to be much lower in the hydrogen-charged specimens as compared to noncharged specimens. The reduced ductility may be explained by either a reduction of the interfacial strength of the carbide-matrix interface or a local hydrogen pressure at the carbide-matrix interface.     

The effect of dentin disinfectants on shear bond strength of resin-modified glass-ionomer materials

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of dentinal disinfection with a 2% chlorhexidine or a 0.11% I2-KI/CuSO4 solution on the shear bond strength of three resin-modified glass-ionomer cements: Fuji II LC, Photac-Fil, and Vitremer. The occlusal surfaces of extracted human teeth were flattened to dentin. Specimens were randomly assigned to one of nine treatment groups (n = 12). For each glass-ionomer material, there was a control group and two treatment groups in which the dentin was treated with either a 2% chlorhexidine or a 0.11% I2-KI/CuSO4 solution before the dentin was treated with the recommended dentin conditioner prior to glass-ionomer bonding. Specimens were stored for 1 day in water, thermocycled, and tested in shear until failure. The chlorhexidine solution did not significantly affect the shear bond strengths of any of the cements, but the I2-KI/CuSO4 solution significantly lowered the bond strengths of Vitremer and Fuji II LC compared to the controls.     

The fracture resistance of a binary TiAl alloy

The fracture resistance of a binary Ti-47Al (in at. pct) alloy has been investigated. The binary alloy was cast, forged, and heat treated to a fully lamellar microstructure with a colony size of either 640 or 1425 μm. Fracture toughness tests were performed in a scanning electron microscope (SEM) equipped with a loading stage. Direct observations of the fracture process indicated that crack extension commenced at a stress intensity level of 1.2 to 4 MPa√m. The crack path was primarily interlamellar and crack extension across an individual colony or across similarly oriented colonies was relatively easy. In contrast, crack arrest was prevalent when the crack encountered the boundaries of unfavorably oriented colonies. To extend into an unfavorably oriented neighboring colony, the K level of the approaching crack had to be increased significantly to renucleate a microcrack at a location away from the crack tip, resulting in the formation of an interconnecting ligament that must be fractured to further crack growth. This interaction between the crack and the microstructure led to a large variation in the slope of the K _R curves. Comparison of the K _R curves for the binary Ti-47Al alloy against published data for quinary Ti-47Al-xNb-yCr-zV alloys indicates that the initiation toughness of the quinary alloys is higher by a factor of 5 to 10, implying the existence of a significant beneficial effect of alloying additions on the initiation toughness.     

The effect of retained austenite on the fracture toughness of high-speed steels

The aim of this work was to find the quantitative dependences between fracture toughness K_lc and the volume fraction of retained austenite in the matrix of quenched high-speed steels. The tests were carried out on three model alloys of a different content quotient of Mo: W which, after quenching, were gradually supercooled up to ? 196°C and then tempered at 450°C. Also the measurements of the content of retained austenite in the vicinity of the surface of a sample fracture were carried out. It was determined that after tempering at 450°C the fracture toughness of the matrix of high-speed steels is directly proportional to the content of retained austenite in it. Every 1 % by volume of retained austenite increases the fracture toughness K_lc of the matrix by about 5%, despite the fact that most probably it is completely transformed into fresh martensite in front of a propagating crack. Higher fracture toughness of the matrix of high-speed steels rich in molybdenum should be explained exlusively by a larger content of retained austenite. Transformations in the martensitic part of the matrix of the alloys richer in molybdenum clearly reduce the advantageous effect of retained austenite on this steel feature.     

The effect of environment on the mechanism of Stage I fatigue fracture

Fatigue crack propagation in nickel-base superalloys at low and intermediate temperatures occurs predominantly in the Stage I mode, along {111} slip planes. Cracking normally starts at an external surface and the Stage I fracture surface has a cleavage appearance. Both of these factors indicate that the environment may play an important role in this mode of propagation. To assess the role of environment in Stage I fracture and to determine the mechanism of failure, fatigue tests were run in air and vacuum on single crystals of low-carbon MAR-M200. The fatigue life at room temperature is significantly greater in vacuum than in air, and the improvement in life increases as the stress range is reduced. Fatigue crack propagation in specimens tested in air and in vacuum is entirely in the Stage I mode, but only the specimens tested at low stress ranges in air have a cleavage appearance. In vacuum and at high applied stress levels in air, fracture surfaces have a matte appearance with fewer fracture steps and river lines. At high magnifications, a dimpled structure is observed on these fracture surfaces. The fatigue life in air can be attributed to a faster rate of crack growth resulting from oxygen adsorption at the crack tip. A model for Stage I fatigue crack propagation in planar slip materials is presented which is an extension of the Griffith-Orowan criterion to cases where localized cleavage occurs at a crack tip in fatigue.     

The effect of hydrogen on the fracture toughness of alloy X-750

The effect of hydrogen on the fracture toughness behavior of a nickel-base superalloy, Alloy X-750, in the solutionized and aged condition was investigated. Notched bend specimens were tested to determine if the fracture process was stress or strain controlled. The fracture was observed to initiate at a distance between the location of maximum stress and maximum strain, suggesting that fracture required both a critical stress and strain. The effect of hydrogen was further investigated and modeled using fracture toughness testing and fractographic examination. The fracture toughness of the non-charged specimen was 147 . Charging with hydrogen decreased the fracture toughness, K _lc, to 52 at a rapid loading rate and further decreased the toughness to 42 for a slow loading rate. This is consistent with the rate-limiting step forthe embrittlement process being hydrogen diffusion. The fracture morphology for the hydrogen-charged specimens was intergranular ductile dimple, while the fracture morphology of noncharged specimens was a mixture of large transgranular dimples and fine intergranular dimples. The intergranular failure mechanism in Alloy X-750 was a microvoid initiation process at grain boundary carbides followed by void growth and coalescence. One role of hydrogen was to reduce the void initiation strain for the fine intergranular carbides. Hydrogen may have also increased the rate of void growth. The conditions ahead of a crack satisfy the critical stress criterion at a much lower applied stress intensity factor than for the critical fracture strain criterion. A model based on a critical fracture strain criterion is shown to predict the fracture behavior.     

The effect of hydrogen on the fracture toughness of alloy X-750

The effect of hydrogen on the fracture toughness behavior of a nickel-base superalloy, Alloy X-750, in the solutionized and aged condition was investigated. Notched bend specimens were tested to determine if the fracture process was stress or strain controlled. The fracture was observed to initiate at a distance between the location of maximum stress and maximum strain, suggesting that fracture required both a critical stress and strain. The effect of hydrogen was further investigated and modeled using fracture toughness testing and fractographic examination. The fracture toughness of the non-charged specimen was 147 MPa√m. Charging with hydrogen decreased the fracture toughness, K _Ic , to 52 MPa√m at a rapid loading rate and further decreased the toughness to 42 MPa√m for a slow loading rate. This is consistent with the rate-limiting step for the embrittlement process being hydrogen diffusion. The fracture morphology for the hydrogen-charged specimens was intergranular ductile dimple, while the fracture morphology of noncharged specimens was a mixture of large transgranular dimples and fine intergranular dimples. The intergranular failure mechanism in Alloy X-750 was a microvoid initiation process at grain boundary carbides followed by void growth and coalescence. One role of hydrogen was to reduce the void initiation strain for the fine intergranular carbides. Hydrogen may have also increased the rate of void growth. The conditions ahead of a crack satisfy the critical stress criterion at a much lower applied stress intensity factor than for the critical fracture strain criterion. A model based on a critical fracture strain criterion is shown to predict the fracture behavior.     

The effect of air abrasion on shear bond strength to dentin with dental adhesives

This study compared the effects of different dentin surface treatments on the shear bond strengths of three adhesive systems. The adhesive systems included a resin-modified glass ionomer, Fuji II LC, and two dentin bonding systems, One Step and Scotchbond Multi-Purpose Plus. The surface treatments compared for each adhesive system were as follows: 1) the controls, which were conditioned, 2) air abrasion at 120 psi without conditioning, 3) air abrasion at 160 psi without conditioning, 4) air abrasion at 120 psi with conditioning, and 5) air abrasion at 160 psi with conditioning. The KCP 1000 Whisperjet was used for all air-abrasive specimens. Controls for each adhesive material (Fuji II LC, One Step, Scotchbond Multi-Purpose Plus) were bonded using manufacturers' recommendations. Results showed that air abrasion significantly lowered bond strength of the resin-modified glass ionomer, conditioned or nonconditioned (P < 0.01). Air abrasion alone significantly lowered bond strengths of the dentin bonding agent systems (P < 0.01). However, air abrasion plus conditioning of the dentin surface resulted in bond strengths that were similar to the conditioned-only specimens (P < 0.01).     

The effect of hydrogen on fracture toughness of the Fe-Ni-Co superalloy IN903

Fracture toughness values and tensile properties were determined in the Fe-Ni-Co superalloy IN903* as a function of hydrogen concentration, loading rate, and grain size to define the effects of hydrogen on fracture toughness and failure modes. Tests using precracked, precharged three point bend samples showed that fracture toughness decreased from 90 to 50 MPa-m^1/2 as hydrogen increased from zero to 5000 appm. The decrease in fracture toughness was accompanied by a fracture mode change from microvoid coalescence in the uncharged samples to principally slip band fracture with some twin band and ductile intergranular fracture in the hydrogen charged samples. Fractographic observations and application of ductile fracture toughness models showed that fracture initiated at matrix carbides in all samples. These carbides established the critical fracture distance for all fracture processes observed in the fracture toughness samples. Hydrogen promoted the secondary fracture processes of slip band, twin band, and ductile intergranular fractures which lowered both the critical fracture strain and the fracture toughness of IN903.