Mechanical properties of dental Ti-Ag alloys with 22.5, 25, 27.5, and 30 mass% Ag

Abstract

The mechanical properties —tensile strength, yield strength, elongation after fracture, Vickers hardness, and Young’s modulus— and the phases of Ti-Ag alloys were investigated, as prepared with 22.5, 25, 27.5, and 30 mass% Ag. The tensile strength, yield strength, hardness, and Young’s modulus of the alloys increase with their Ag content up to 25 mass%, but their breaking elongation decreases. These changes in the mechanical properties are attributed to solid-solution strengthening of the α-titanium phase, to Ti2Ag precipitation, and to the formation of eutectic structures composed of α+Ti2Ag. The addition of Ag, at 25 mass% in particular, improves the mechanical properties of these alloys, making them suitable for high strength dental prostheses, such as implantretained superstructures and narrow-diameter implants.