Mechanical Strength and Microstructure of Laser-welded Ti-6Al-7Nb Alloy Castings

Effect of Nd:YAG laser parameters on the penetration depth of a representative Ni-Cr dental casting alloy

The effects of voltage and laser beam (spot) diameter on the penetration depth during laser beam welding in a representative nickel-chromium (Ni-Cr) dental alloy were the subject of this study. The cast alloy specimens were butted against each other and laser welded at their interface using various voltages (160-390 V) and spot diameters (0.2-1.8 mm) and a constant pulse duration of 10 ms. After welding, the laser beam penetration depths in the alloy were measured. The results were plotted and were statistically analyzed with a two-way ANOVA, employing voltage and spot diameter as the discriminating variables and using Holm-Sidak post hoc method (a = 0.05). The maximum penetration depth was 4.7 mm. The penetration depth increased as the spot diameter decreased at a fixed voltage and increased as the voltage increased at a fixed spot diameter. Varying the parameters of voltage and laser spot diameter significantly affected the depth of penetration of the dental cast Ni-Cr alloy. The penetration depth of laser-welded Ni-Cr dental alloys can be accurately adjusted based on the aforementioned results, leading to successfully joined/repaired dental restorations, saving manufacturing time, reducing final cost, and enhancing the longevity of dental prostheses.

Effect of laser irradiation conditions on the laser welding strength of cobalt-chromium and gold alloys

Using tensile tests, this study investigated differences in the welding strength of casts of cobalt-chromium and gold alloys resulting from changes in the voltage and pulse duration in order to clarify the optimum conditions of laser irradiation for achieving favorable welding strength. Laser irradiation was performed at voltages of 150 V and 170 V with pulse durations of 4, 8, and 12 ms. For cobalt-chromium and gold alloys, it was found that a good welding strength could be achieved using a voltage of 170 V, a pulse duration of 8 ms, and a spot diameter of 0.5 mm. However, when the power density was set higher than this, defects tended to occur, suggesting the need for care when establishing welding conditions.

Fracture strength of different soldered and welded orthodontic joining configurations with and without filling material

The aim of this study was to compare the mechanical strength of different joints made by conventional brazing, TIG and laser welding with and without filling material. Five standardized joining configurations of orthodontic wire in spring hard quality were used: round, cross, 3 mm length, 9 mm length and 7 mm to orthodontic band. The joints were made by five different methods: brazing, tungsten inert gas (TIG) and laser welding with and without filling material. For the original orthodontic wire and for each kind of joint configuration or connecting method 10 specimens were carefully produced, totalizing 240. The fracture strengths were measured with a universal testing machine (Zwick 005). Data were analyzed by ANOVA (p=0.05) and Bonferroni post hoc test (p=0.05). In all cases, brazing joints were ruptured on a low level of fracture strength (186-407 N). Significant differences between brazing and TIG or laser welding (p<0.05, Bonferroni post hoc test) were found in each joint configuration. The highest fracture strength means were observed for laser welding with filling material and 3 mm joint length (998 N). Using filling materials, there was a clear tendency to higher mean values of fracture strength in TIG and laser welding. However, statistically significant differences were found only in the 9-mm long joints (p<0.05, Bonferroni post hoc test). In conclusion, the fracture strength of welded joints was positively influenced by the additional use of filling material. TIG welding was comparable to laser welding except for the impossibility of joining orthodontic wire with orthodontic band.

Bond strength of gold alloys laser welded to cobalt-chromium alloy

The objective of this study was to investigate the joint properties between cast gold alloys and Co-Cr alloy laser-welded by Nd:YAG laser. Cast plates were fabricated from three types of gold alloys (Type IV, Type II and low-gold) and a Co-Cr alloy. Each gold alloy was laser-welded to Co-Cr using a dental laser-welding machine. Homogeneously-welded and non-welded control specimens were also prepared. Tensile testing was conducted and data were statistically analyzed using ANOVA. The homogeneously-welded groups showed inferior fracture load compared to corresponding control groups, except for Co-Cr. In the specimens welded heterogeneously to Co-Cr, Type IV was the greatest, followed by low-gold and Type II. There was no statistical difference (P<0.05) in fracture load between Type II control and that welded to Co-Cr. Higher elongations were obtained for Type II in all conditions, whereas the lowest elongation occurred for low-gold welded to Co-Cr. This study indicated that, of the three gold alloys tested, the Type IV gold alloy was the most suitable alloy for laser-welding to Co-Cr.

Effect of arm design and chemical polishing on retentive force of cast titanium alloy clasps

PURPOSE

Titanium dentures have recently increased in popularity. A decrease in the retentive force of the titanium clasps has frequently been observed. This study investigated the effect of retentive arm design and chemical polishing of titanium clasps.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Four Akers clasps with 0.25-mm and 0.5-mm undercuts were designed so that the retentive arms were placed at 1/2 and 2/3 of the undercut area. Wax patterns were fabricated and invested in phosphate-bonded Al2O3/LiAl SiO6. They were cast with CP Ti Grade 2, CP Ti Grade 3, and Ti-6Al-7Nb using an argon gas-pressure casting unit (Autocast HC-III). After sandblasting, the castings were chemically treated with an HNO3/HF solution. The retentive force (N) was measured up to 10,000 insertion/removal times. The results (n = 5) were analyzed by ANOVA/Tukey's test (alpha= 0.05).

RESULTS

The retentive forces significantly decreased with increasing immersion time in the HNO3/HF solution (p < 0.05). The retentive force of the 2/3 undercut was significantly greater than that of the 1/2 undercut (p < 0.05). Excluding the initial insertion/removal period of the 2/3 undercut, there were no significant differences among all the titanium metals tested (p > 0.05). As the number of insertion/removal times increased, the retentive force of the 2/3 undercut greatly decreased. The retentive force of the Ti-6Al-7Nb clasps for the 1/2 undercut decreased the least after 10,000 insertion/removal times.

CONCLUSIONS

Chemical treatment for titanium clasps should be performed for 1-5 minutes due to the following factors: accuracy, surface roughness, surface structure, initial retention, and stability of retention. To maintain appropriate long-term retentive force, the retentive arms should be placed in the 1/2 undercut area of the abutment tooth.

Surface Modification of Titanium with Hydrothermal Treatment at High Pressure

Surface modification of titanium was investigated by means of hydrothermal treatment with a maximum pressure of 6.3 MPa (280 degrees C temperature) in CaO solution or water to improve bioactivity and biocompatibility. As a result, calcium titanate was formed on the titanium surface. Moreover, titanium oxide and titanium hydroxide layers on the surface increased as temperature and pressure increased. The surface-modified titanium was also immersed in a simulated body fluid (SBF) to estimate its bioactivity. Needle-like apatite precipitation was observed on all hydrothermal-treated titanium surfaces after immersion in SBF for four weeks. In particular, the apatite precipitation of titanium treated with 6.3 MPa in CaO solution was clearer and larger in amount than those of all other hydrothermal-treated specimens. Further, the amount of precipitate corresponded to the thickness of the surface-modified layer and the amount of calcium in the surface layer. The results suggested that surface modification of titanium with high-pressure hydrothermal treatment seemed to improve bioactivity and biocompatibility.