Metals and Alloys

DR.SAHAR ALI
BDS,RDS (LUMHS)
Lecturer of Dental Materials at MDC
FROM THE BOOK
 OBJECTIVE:

• (a) Uses of Metals and alloys in dentistry.

• (b) Basic properties of Metals.
• (c) Structure of Metals.
• (d) Shaping of Metals.
 Uses of Metals and Alloys in Dentistry:

• (a) Steel Alloys: construction of instruments and orthodontic wires.

• (b) Gold Alloys with Chromium: Crown, Inlays, Denture Bases.
• (c) Dental Amalgam: Dental filling Material.
 Properties of Metals:

• (a) Except mercury Metals are hard and lustrous at room temperature.
• (b) Has crystalline structure.
• (c) Metals are opaque.
• (d) Good conductor of Heat and Electricity.
 Structure of Metals:

• Crystal Structure:
• (i) Crystallization: When a molten metal or alloy is cooled, it solidifies and the process of
solidification of metal is known as Crystallization.
• (ii) Nuclei: Specific sites at which crystallization is initiated is called Nuclei.
• (iii) Crystals grow as dendrites or spherulites which can be described as three
dimensional structures emanating from central nucleus.
• (iv) Each crystal is known as “Grain”.
• (v) Area btw two grains in contact is known as Grain Boundary.
• (vi) Atoms within each grain are arranged in regular three dimensional Lattice.
• (vii) There are several possible arrangements:
• (a) Cubic
• (b) Body centered Cubic
• (c) Face centered Cubic.
• (viii) Occasionally defects occurs in crystal structure.
>
Defects> Dislocations Ductility
(a) Stress to initiate dislocation: Yield stress.
(b) Plane along which dislocation moves: Slip plane.
(c) Grain boundaries form a natural barrier to the movement of dislocations.
(d) More grain boundaries, Less grain size.
• Fine grain: More Harder, Yield Stress
• Coarser Grain: Less Harder, Yield Stress
• Fine Grain can be achieved by Quenching.
• Quenching: Rapid cooling of molten Alloy following casting.
 Shaping of Metals:

• (a) Casting: Process by which molten metals is forced into heated investment mold.
• (b) Cold Working/ Work Hardening: Shaping of metal at relatively low temperature.
• *(BCQ): The temperature below which work hardening is possible is termed as
“Recrystallization Temperature”.
• (c) Amalgamation: Alloy mixed with mercury to form a plastic mass for direct filling.
 Alloys:
• Alloys:.
An alloy is a mixture of two or more Metals
 Classification of Alloys:
• 1. On the basis of Number of metals:
• Binary Alloys: Mixture of two metals.
• Tertiary Alloys: Mixture of three metals.
• Quaternary Alloys: Mixture of four metals.
• 2. On the basis of Solubility:
• (1) Remains Soluble (completely soluble)
• (2) Remains Insoluble
• (3) Partially Soluble
• (4) Intermetallic compounds.
 1.Remain Soluble:
• The component metals may remain soluble in each other forming a Solid Solution.
• (i) Random Solid Solution: Atoms occupy random sites.
• (ii) Ordered solid solution: Atoms occupy specific sites.
• (iii) Interstitial Solid solution: Primary sites are occupied by one metal atom and atoms
of second component do not occupy lattice sites.
 2.Remain Insoluble:
• The component metals may be completely insoluble in solid state.
• This type of alloy is susceptible to electrolytic corrosion.
 3.Partially soluble:
• The two metals may be partially soluble in solid state.
Solubility Temperature
 4.Intermetallic Compound:
• Two metals have strong affinity for each other and they form Intermattelic compounds.
• Precise chemical formula.
• For example: AgSn