Residual stress delaying phase transformation in Y-TZP bio-restorations

Abstract

Engineering favorable residual stress for the complex geometry of bi-layer porcelain-zirconia crowns potentially prevents crack initiation and improves the mechanical performance and lifetime of the dental restoration. In addition to external load, the stress field depends on initial residual stress before loading. Residual stress is the result of factors such as the thermal expansion mismatch of layers and compliance anisotropy of zirconia grains in the process of sintering and cooling. Stress induced phase transformation in zirconia extensively relaxes the residual stress and changes the stress state. The objective of this study is to investigate the coupling between tetragonal to monoclinic phase transformations and residual stress. Residual stress, on the surface of the sectioned single load to failure crown, at 23 points starting from the pure tetragonal and ending at a fully monoclinic region were measured using the micro X-ray diffraction sin² ψ method. An important observation is the significant range in measured residual stress from a compressive stress of −400 MPa up to tensile stress of 400 MPa and up to 100% tetragonal to monoclinic phase transformation.

Keywords:

• dental crown
• residual stress
• phase transformation
• X-ray diffraction

Acknowledgments

We gratefully acknowledge the assistance of researchers at NYU including Paulo Coelho and Nelson Da Silva. Partial research support was provided by the Oklahoma Health Research award (project number HR07-134), from the Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology (OCAST).