The response of dental amalgam to dynamic loading.

A conventional (gamma 2-containing) dental amalgam was fatigue-tested at 1800 and 80 cycles/min, employing uni-axial, sinusoidal loading, with R = -8. Compressive, tensile, and creep tests were conducted to characterize the alloy's static mechanical behavior. Tests were performed at 37 degrees C on specimens which were aged for seven days, at 37 degrees C. Fatigue-tested specimens were microscopically examined for fracture surface appearance and crack path. The amalgam demonstrated a frequency dependence and a significant reduction in fracture strength due to fatigue loading. The fatigue crack path was primarily intergranular in the gamma 1 phase and inclined at approximately 45 degrees to the principal stress axis. These observations are characteristic of some metals when subjected to low-frequency, elevated temperature testing where significant grain boundary sliding occurs, and therefore suggest a creep-fatigue interaction for this alloy.