WROUGHT

METAL
ALLOYS
 CONTENTS
DEFINITION
HOW WROUGHT METAL ALLOYS ARE MADE?
USES
PROPERTIES
DEFORMATION OF METALS
CARBON STEEL
GOLD ALLOYS
 STAINLESS STEEL
TITANIUM ALLOYS
CHROMIUM – COBALT ALLOYS
AJ WILCOCK WIRES
CONCLUSION
• Wrought: Beaten to shape.
• Alloys: A metal made by combining two or
more metallic elements to give greater
strength or resistance to corrosion
• What are wrought metal
alloys?

These are cold worked metals that

are plastically deformed to bring
about a change in shape of structure
and their mechanical properties.
How wrought alloys are made?

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Wrought
alloy

Heat
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 How wrought metal alloys are made?
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Where all they are used?
ORTHODONTIC WIRES

PRE-FABRICATED CROWNS

ORTHODONTIC
BRACKETS
PARTIAL DENTURE CLASP

ENDODONTIC FILES

SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS
 PROPERTIES
• Strength
• Stiffness
• Springback
• Resilience
• Formability
• Malleability
• Ductility
• Joinability
• Biocompatibility
 ELASTIC LIMIT

THE RATIO OF STRESS

TO STRAIN N THE
LINEAR PORTION OF
THE CURVE IS CALLED
YOUNG’S MODULUS
STRESS

ELASTIC POINT

STRAIN
 YIELD STRENGTH

THE
DEFORMATION
MOST USED IS
0.2%
STRESS

YIELD POINT

STRAIN
 ULTIMATE TENSILE
SRENGTH
STRESS

STRAIN
 SPRING BACK

POINT OF ARBITARY
CLINICAL LOADING
STRESS

STRAIN
 RESILENCE

STRESS

STRAIN
 FORMABILITY
YIELD
POINT

FRACTURE POINT
STRESS

STRAIN
 MALLEABILITY

• The material's ability to form a thin sheet by

hammering or rolling.
 DUCTILITY

• The material's ability to be stretched into a

wire.
 BIOCOMPATIBILITY

• Resistant to corrosion.
 JOINABILITY

Ease of auxillary attatchment soldering or welding

Stress-strain curve
 DEFORMATION OF METALS

 LATTICE IMPERFECTIONS

 DISLOCATIONS

 STRAIN HARDENING

 FRACTURE
 LATTICE IMPERFECTIONS

CRYSTALIZATION OF METALS

RANDOM GROWTH

LATTICE POINTS ARE VACCANT OR OVER CROWDED

Lattice imperfections are classified as:

POINT DEFECTS

LINE DEFECTS
 POINT DEFECTS

Vacancy – a vacant lattice site

Divacancy/ Trivacancy – two or

more missing atoms

Interstitial – extra atom

present in space lattice
Vacancies are also known as “Equilibrium defects”.

This is necessary for the process of diffusion of

metals
 DISLOCATIONS

Edge dislocation - lattice is regular except for the

one plane of atoms that is discontinuous, forming
“dislocation line” at the edge of the half plane.
 • Edge dislocation

• Continuous shear stress

application

• Dislocation reaches edge

of the crystal & disappears

• Leaves ONE UNIT of slip at

the crystal surface
SLIP PLANE
 Dislocations
are not equilibrium defects
it requires significant energy

Slip plane –
plane along which a dislocation moves
 STRAIN HARDENING/ WORK HARDENING

• PLASTIC DEFORMATION AT ROOM TEMPERATURE

 Dislocations tend Atomic slip o
to buildup at grain other inter
boundaries slip pla

Point defects increase

& entire grain
becomes distorted

Greater stress is Metal bec

required to produce stronger, H
further slip and less D

Further increase in cold work metal FRACTURE

• Consequences of strain hardening

• Surface hardness •Ductility

• Yield Strength • Resistance to

corrosion of the metal

• Ultimate tensile
strength
 ANNEALING

• Controlled heating and cooling process designed to

produce desired properties in a metal.

• Annealing takes place in 3 successive stages

Recovery
Recrystallization
Grain growth
RECOVERY

•Cold worked properties begin to

disappear.

•Slight decrease in tensile strength.

• No changes in microscopic
structure.
• Recrystallization

The old grains are replaced by new

set of grains.

The material attains its original soft

and ductile condition.

The fibrous structure is transformed

to small grains.
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b Phenomenon occurs only in wrought metals
 CARBON STEELS

• Iron-based alloys usually containing 1.2% Carbon

• Based on 3 possible lattice arrangements of iron,
different classes of steels are:

o Ferrite
o Austenite
o Martensite
Ferrite

 Body centered cubic (BCC)

 Pure iron at room temperature
 Phase is stable in temperature as high as 912C
 Carbon has very low solubility in ferrite
Austenite

• Face centered cubic (FCC)

• Stable form of iron at temperature between 912C &
1394C
• Maximum carbon solubility is 2.1% by weight.
Martensite

• Body centered tetragonal crystal structure.

• Produced by quenching of austenite to undergo
spontaneous, diffusionless transformation.
• This is a very strong brittle and hard alloy.
• The formation of martensite is actually a
strengthening mechanism of carbon steel.
• Lattice is highly distorted & strained resulting in an
extremely hard, strong, brittle alloy-MARTENSITE

MARTENSITE decomposes to form FERRITE & CARBIDE

Accelerated by heat treatment process called

TEMPERING

Reduces hardness but increases toughness

WROUGHT GOLD ALLOYS
HISTORY
 GOLD WIRES WRAPPED AROUND THE NECK OF
ADJACENT TEETH.
The Use of Gold in Dentistry AN HISTORICAL OVERVIEW. PART I
J. A. Donaldson British Dental Association Museum, London, U.K.
DENTAL APPLICATIONS OF GOLD ALLOYS

CONSTRUCTION OF REMOVABLE PARTIAL DENTURE

CLASP.

FABRICATION OF ORTHODONTIC APPLIANCES.

AS RETENTION PINS FOR RESTORATION.

STAINLESS STEEL ALLOYS
 HISTORY

• First developed by Harry Brearley in Sheffield,

England.
• Stainless steel entered dentistry in 1919, introduced
at Krupp’s dental poly clinic in Germany by F. Haupt
Meyer.

• In 1930 Angle used it to make ligature wires.

• The wires used in orthodontics are generally
American Iron and Steel Institute {AISI} types 302
and 304 austenitic stainless steels. These alloys are
known as “18-8” Stainless steels, so designated
because of the percentages of chromium and nickel
in the alloy.
Properties of stainless steel
• When 12-30% chromium is added to steel it forms
STAINLESS STEEL.
• Yield strength - 1100-15000Mpa.
• The modulus of elasticity - 160 to 180 GPa.
• PASSIVATION- property of SS to resist tarnish and
corrosion. The chromium in the stainless steel forms
a thin, adherent passivating oxide layer that provides
corrosion resistance by blocking the diffusion of
oxygen to the underlying bulk of the alloy.
 CORROSION RESISTANCE OF STAINLESS STEEL

• Sensitization
18-8 STAINLESS
STEEL LOSES ITS
RESISTANCE TO
CORROSION.

DUE TO PRECIPITATION OF CHROMIUM

CARBIDE AT GRAIN BOUNDARIES. (650C)
METHODS TO
REDUCE
Reduce the carbon content.
Precipitate carbide along slip planes.
• STABILIZATION TITANIUM is used approx 6
times Carbon content for
stabilization

A method employed
where introduction of
some element that
precipitates as carbide
in preference to
chromium
S
T
A Ferritic
I
N
L
E Martensitic
S
S
S
T
E
Austensitic
E
L
Ferritic stainless steel

• It has BCC structure

• Composition:
Chromium - 11.5% to 27%
Carbon – 0.2%
Nickel – 0%
• Properties:
– Provide good corrosion resistance.
– Not hardenable by heat treatment because
temperature change induces no phase change in solid
state.
– Not readily work hardenable.
– Little application in DENTISTRY.
Martensitic stainless steel
• BCT structure.
• Composition:
Chromium – 11.5% to 17%
Nickel – 0% to 2.5%
Carbon – 0.15% to 1.2%
• Properties:
– Can be heat treated
– Has less corrosion resistance than other types of
stainless steels
• Used for surgical and cutting instruments
Austenitic stainless steel

• FCC structure.
• AISI 302 series
• Most corrosion resistant metal.
• Used for orthodontic wires,endodontic instruments,
crowns in pediatric dentistry.
 Austenite
18-8 stainless steel used in orthodontic
stainless steel wires and brackets

AISI 302(basic alloy) AISI 304

17-19% chromium 18-20%chromium
8-10%nickel 8-12%nickel
0.15% carbon 0.08% carbon
 Comparing Austenitic over Ferritic stainless
steel
Austenitic stainless steel has:
-Less critical
• -Greater ductility & ability to undergo grain growth

more cold work without fracturing

• -Substantial strengthening during cold
working
• -Greater ease of welding

• -Ability to overcome sensitization

• -Comparative ease in forming

Duplex steels SAF2205
• Both austenite and ferrite grains Due to its low
content in nickel,
• Increased toughness and ductility
the steel has been
than Ferritic steels preferred for the
manufacture of
• Twice the yield strength of austenitic one-piece
brackets by
steels CEOSA, Madrid
(Bioline® & Low
• High corrosion resistance nickel”®)
• Lower nickel content
Titanium alloys
Nickel titanium
(NiTi) Titanium
niobium

β- titanium Timolium

Beta III
α- titanium
NICKEL TITANIUM ALLOYS
History
• The term nitinol is derived from its composition and
its place of discovery (Nickel Titanium-Naval
Ordnance Laboratory).
• William J. Buehler along with Frederick Wang,
discovered its properties during research at the Naval
Ordnance Laboratory in 1959.
 Composition:
Nickel – 54%
Titanium – 44%
Cobalt- 2% or less

Nitinol alloy can exist in various crystallographic

forms:
Austenitic phase – parent phase - BCC lattice, exists
at high temperatures & stable form

Martensitic phase –daughter phase- Close packed

Hexagonal lattice, exists at room temperature
 Shape memory effect
Achieved by 1st establishing a
shape at temp erature near 482°C

cooled & formed into a 2nd shape

and heat treated through a low
transition temperature

wire will return to its original shape

COBALT content is used to control

the lower transition temperature
(approx 37°C mouth temperature)

Superelasticity – phenomenon where austenite to

martensite transition is induced by stress .
 SHAPE MEMORY SUPER ELASTICITY

THERMALLY INDUCED MECHANICAL OR

AT ORAL TEMPERATURE STRESS INDUCED

MARTENSITIC PHASE TRANSFORMATION

AUSTENITIC MARTENSITIC AUSTENITIC

Key properties of Nitinol alloys include:
• Large forces that can be generated due to the shape
memory effect.
• Excellent damping properties below the transition
temperature.
• Excellent corrosion resistance.
• Nonmagnetic.
• High fatigue strength.
• Moderate impact resistance.
• Moderate heat resistance.
• Biocompatible.
Advantages

I. Fewer arch wire changes

II. Less chair side time
III. Less patient discomfort
Uses of NITINOL

DENTISTRY:

ORTHODONTIC WIRES

ENDODONTIC FILES
• These wires do not need to be retightened as
often as other wires because they can contract
as the teeth move unlike conventional stainless
steel wires
• Because of the high fatigue tolerance and
flexibility of nitinol, it greatly decreases the
possibility of an endodontic file breaking inside
the tooth during root canal treatment, thus
improving safety for the patient.
• MEDICAL APPLICATION:

ANCHORS FOR TENDON FIXATION.

STENTS FOR CARDIOVASCULAR

APPLICATION
• Advantages of Cu-NiTi over traditional NiTi
alloys:
More
More consistent
resistant to forces which
permanent are active
deformation longer within
and better the optimal
springback tooth
Smaller moving
loading range
force for
same
degree of
deformation
 β-TITANIUM
• Termed as Titanium-Molybdenum Alloys
(TMA)

Dr. CHARLES BURSTONE AND

JON GOLDBERG
• Composition:
– Titanium – 77.8%
– Molybdenum – 11.3%
– Zirconium – 6.6%
– Tin – 4.3%
• Mechanical properties of beta-titanium alloys

ELASTIC MODULUS • SPRINGBACK.

• YIELD STRENGTH TO
ELASTIC MODULUS RATIO.
• COLD WORKED.
• DUCTILITY

GOOD FORMABILITY COMPARED TO AUSTENSITIC STAINLESS

STEEL

• CORROSION RESISTANCE.
• ENVIRONMENTAL STABILITY.

HEAT TREATMENT
• Low elastic modulus, WHEN COMPARED TO SS hence large deflections for
low forces
• has high ratio of yield strength to elastic modulus – can sustain large
elastic acivations
• β-titanium can be highly cold worked
• HIGHLY DUCTILE WHICH ALLOWS IT TO BE FORMED INTO ARCHES WITH
COMPLICATED LOOPS.
• formability is comparable to austenitic stainless steel BCZ OF BCC
STRUCTURE.
• has excellent corrosion resistance and environmental stability
• Heat treatment of β-titanium is NOT recommended.
ONLY ORTHODONTIC WIRE POSSESSING
TRUE WELDABILITY
Welding properties of beta-titanium alloys

 Clinically satisfactory joints can be made

by welding.
 Weld made with insufficient heat fails at
the interface between the wires.
 Overheating may cause a failure adjacent
to the welded joint.
Advantages of Beta-titanium over Stainless
steel

• Beta-titanium replaced stainless steel for

certain uses, as stainless steel had dominated
orthodontics since the 1960s.
• It has strength/modulus of elasticity ratios
almost twice those of 18-8 austenitic stainless
steel, larger elastic deflections in springs, and
reduced force per unit displacement, 2.2 times
below those of stainless steel appliances.
• CLINICAL USE

INITIAL TOOTH ALIGNMENT

FINISHING ARCHES

K-SIR ARCH

PENDULUM APPLIANCE
COBALT-CHROMIUM NICKEL ALLOY
Composition:

• Cobalt – 40%
• Chromium – 20%
• Nickel – 15%
• Molybdenum – 7%
• Manganese – 2%
• Carbon – 0.016%
• Beryllium – 0.04%
• Iron – 15.8%
• Also known as ELGILOY.
• It is manufactured in four tempers:

SOFT DUCTILE SEMIRESILIENT

RESILIENT
• Careful manipulation with pliers is
recommended when using this wire because it
withstands only minimal working. Heat
treatment makes red Elgiloy wire extremely
resilient. Since this wire fractures easily after
heat treatment, all adjustments should be
made before this precipitation hardening
process.
• ELGILOY wire is heat treated at 482°C for 7 to
12 minutes - mainly to increase the yield
strength & decrease the ductility.

ELGILOY wires should not be ANNEALED.

• Because the resulting softening effect cannot be

reversed by subsequent heat treatment.

• If only a portion of wire is annealed, severe

embrittlement of adjacent sections may occur
The advantages of Co-Cr wires over stainless steel wires
include greater resistance to fatigue and distortion, and
longer function as a resilient spring.
 CONCLUSION
• In the last few decades, a variety of new
alloys has been introduced into
orthodontics.
• Appropriate use of all the available wire
types may enhance patient comfort and
reduce chairside time and the duration of
treatment.