Journal of Dental Research, Vol 80, 1813-1817, Copyright © 2001 by International & American Associations for Dental Research Online Journals

ARTICLES

Effects of heat treatments on mechanical strength of laser-welded equi-atomic AuCu-6at%Ga alloy

I. Watanabe, J. Liu and M. Atsuta
Department of Fixed Prosthodontics, Nagasaki University, School of Dentistry, Sakamoto, Japan. w-ikuya@net.nagasaki-u.ac.jp

There is little information available on the mechanical strengthening of laser-welded gold alloys to achieve reliable dental prostheses. This study examined the hypothesis that heat treatments increase the mechanical strength of a laser-welded equi-atomic AuCu-6at%Ga alloy with age "hardenability" at intra-oral temperature. Cut cast gold alloy plates were laser-welded. The specimens were given one of three heat treatments: (1) solution treatment, (2) high-temperature aging after solution treatment, and (3) simulated intra-oral aging after solution treatment. As-cast and uncut specimens were also prepared. Tensile testing was conducted, and the breaking stress and yield strength were recorded. The yield strength values of all the heat-treated specimens nearly reached the values of the corresponding heat-treated control specimens. The results of this study indicated that, for high mechanical strength to be achieved, the laser-welded alloy tested should be aged at a high temperature or be intraorally aged after being laser-welded.

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