Materials Science

Abstract
A conventional (γ 2-containing) dental amalgam was fatigue-tested at 1800 and 80 cycleslmin, employing uni-axial, sinusoidal loading, with R = -8. Compressive, tensile, and creep tests were conducted to characterize the alloy's static mechanical behavior. Tests were performed at 37°C on specimens which were aged for seven days, at 37°C. Fatigue-tested specimens were microscopically examined for fracture surface appearance and crack path. The amalgam demonstrated a frequency dependence and a significant reduction in fracture strength due to fatigue loading. The fatigue crack path was primarily intergranular in the γ 1 phase and inclined at approximately 45° to the principal stress axis. These observations are characteristic of some metals when subjected to low-frequency, elevated temperature testing where significant grain boundary sliding occurs, and therefore suggest a creep-fatigue interaction for this alloy.

This publication has 13 references indexed in Scilit: