Strength and fracture origins of a feldspathic porcelain

To identify the strength limiting flaws in in vitro test specimens of a fine-grained feldspathic dental porcelain.

Four-point flexural strengths were measured for 26 test specimens. The fracture origin site of every test specimen was studied using stereoptical and scanning electron microscopy. A fractographically labeled Weibull strength distribution graph was prepared.

The complex microstructure of the feldspathic dental porcelain included a variety of feldspars, tridymite, and a feldspathoid as well as pores/bubbles and residual glass. The relatively high flexural strength is due in part to the fine grain size. Fractography revealed five flaw types that controlled strength: baseline microstructural flaws, pores/bubbles, side wall grinding damage, corner machining damage, and inclusions. The baseline microstructural flaws probably were clusters of particular crystalline phases.

Each flaw type probably has a different severity and size distribution, and hence has a different strength distribution. The Weibull strength distribution graph blended the strength distributions of the five flaw types and the apparent good fit of the combined data to a unimodal strength distribution was misleading. Polishing failed to eliminate deeper transverse grinding cracks and corner damage from earlier preparation steps in many of the test pieces. Bend bars should be prepared carefully with longitudinal surface grinding whenever possible and edge chamfers should be carefully applied. If the grinding and preparation flaws were eliminated, the Weibull modulus for this feldspathic porcelain would be greater than 30. Pores/bubbles sometimes controlled strength, but only if they touched each other or an exposed surface. Isolated interior bubble/pores were harmless.