Microhardness of Ni-Cr alloys under different casting conditions

This study evaluated the microhardness of Ni-Cr alloys used in fixed prosthodontics after casting under different conditions. The casting conditions were: (1-flame/air torch) flame made of a gas/oxygen mixture and centrifugal casting machine in a non-controlled casting environment; (2-induction/argon) electromagnetic induction in an environment controlled with argon; (3-induction/vacuum) electromagnetic induction in a vacuum environment; (4-induction/air) electromagnetic induction in a non-controlled casting environment. The 3 alloys used were Ni-Cr-Mo-Ti, Ni-Cr-Mo-Be, and Ni-Cr-Mo-Nb. Four castings with 5 cylindrical, 15 mm-long specimens (diameter: 1.6 mm) in each casting ring were prepared. After casting, the specimens were embedded in resin and polished for Vickers microhardness (VH) measurements in a Shimadzu HMV-2 (1,000 g for 10 s). A total of 5 indentations were done for each ring, one in each specimen. The data was subjected to two-way ANOVA and Tukey's multiple comparison tests (alpha = 0.05). The VH values of Ni-Cr-Mo-Ti (422 +/- 7.8) were statistically higher (p < 0.05) than those of Ni-Cr-Mo-Nb (415 +/- 7.6). The lowest VH values were found for Ni-Cr-Mo-Be (359 +/- 10.7). The VH values obtained in the conditions induction/argon and induction/vacuum were similar (p > 0.05) and lower than the values obtained in the conditions induction/air and flame/air torch (p < 0.05). The VH values in the conditions induction/air and flame/air were similar (p > 0.05). The microhardness of the alloys is influenced by their composition and casting method. The hardness of the Ni-Cr alloys was higher when they were cast with the induction/air and flame/air torch methods.