Effect of ice-quenching after oxidation treatment on hardening of a Pd-Cu-Ga-Zn alloy for bonding porcelain

Effect of Cooling Rate during Glazing on the Mechanical and Optical Properties of Monolithic Zirconia with 3 mol% Yttria Content

Glazing is the final heat treatment process in the manufacturing of a monolithic zirconia prosthesis. Herein, the effect of cooling rate during zirconia glazing was investigated. A 3 mol% yttria-stabilized tetragonal zirconia polycrystal was glazed at the general cooling rate suggested by the manufacturer, as well as at higher and lower cooling rates, and the differences in flexural strength, hardness, optical properties, and crystal structure were evaluated. A higher cooling rate did not affect the flexural strength, hardness, grain size, optical properties, or crystal structure; however, the Weibull modulus decreased by 1.3. A lower cooling rate did not affect the flexural strength, optical properties, or crystal structure; however, the Weibull characteristic strength increased by 26.7 MPa and the Weibull modulus increased by 0.9. The decrease in hardness and the increase in grain size were statistically significant; however, the numerical differences were negligible. This study revealed that a lower cooling rate provides more reliable flexural strength. Therefore, glazing can proceed at a general cooling rate, which takes 3-4 min; however, glazing at a lower cooling rate will provide a more consistent flexural strength if desired, despite being time-consuming.

Effect of cooling rate on hardness and microstructure of Pd-Ag-In-Sn-Ga alloy during porcelain firing simulation

This study examined the effect of the cooling rate on the hardness and its effect on the microstructure during porcelain firing simulation of a Pd-Ag-In-Sn-Ga metal-ceramic alloy. In practice, after each firing step for porcelain bonding, the prosthesis is cooled to room temperature before proceeding to the next firing step. The cooling step is known to allow the hardness of the metal substructure to increase. The aim of the study was to determine whether controlling the cooling rate after each porcelain-firing step increases the hardness of the Pd-Ag-based metal-ceramic alloy. The results showed that the hardness of specimens cooled at a higher cooling rate increased after each firing step compared to specimens cooled at a lower cooling rate (p < 0.05). During cooling after the firing simulation the InPd₃-based phase of tetragonal structure precipitated from the Pd-Ag-rich matrix of the face-centered cubic structure. Hardening by cooling at a higher cooling rate after firing was the result of the coherency strains that formed at the interface of the Pd-Ag-rich matrix and the metastable phase based on the InPd₃ phase. . The reduced hardness obtained in the specimen cooled at a lower cooling rate after firing resulted from the loss of coherency strains as the fine metastable phases based on the InPd₃ phase were transformed into the coarser stable phase with decreased (c/a) of 0.88. This finding revealed that controlling the cooling rate during porcelain firing simulation improves the hardness of the Pd-Ag-In-Sn-Ga metal-ceramic alloy without an additional heat treatment of the alloy.

Effect of ice quenching after oxidation with or without vacuum on the hardness of Pd-Ag-Au-In alloy during porcelain firing simulation

This study examined the effect of ice-quenching after oxidation treatment with or without vacuum, on the change in the hardness of a Pd-Ag-Au-In metal-ceramic alloy during porcelain-firing simulation. The aim of the present study is to determine whether ice quenching after oxidation renders a Pd-Ag metal-ceramic alloy soft enough for easy processing without the need for an additional solution treatment and whether it affects the final hardness of the Pd-Ag metal-ceramic alloy after porcelain firing simulation. The oxidation treatment resulted in the as-cast specimen becoming homogenized, which was progressed further by vacuuming. The bench-cooling to room temperature after the oxidation resulted in precipitation. From the next firing step, the precipitation occurred during the firing process as well as subsequent bench-cooling; this was owing to the presence of a phase boundary wherein the single phase is separated into two phases between the temperatures of the oxidation treatment (1010 °C) and post-oxidation treatment (~960 °C). During the firing process until main bake, the specimen that was ice-quenched after oxidation maintained a higher hardness than the bench-cooled specimen, particularly for the oxidation treated specimen with vacuum (p < 0.05). The mechanism of ice-quenching after oxidation with vacuum to induce further hardening during the firing process involved more active precipitation; this was attributed to the further progress of homogenization during the oxidation. The precipitation reaction in the present study corresponded to the Pd-In binary phase diagram, illustrating that as the firing proceeded, the Pd₃(In,Sn,Ga) phase was precipitated from the Pd-Ag-Au-rich matrix. The findings revealed that ice quenching after oxidation makes the alloy soft enough for easy processing without an additional heat treatment and does not affect the final hardness of the Pd-Ag metal-ceramic alloy after porcelain firing simulation.