D. Segner et D. Ibe, PROPERTIES OF SUPERELASTIC WIRES AND THEIR RELEVANCE TO ORTHODONTIC TREATMENT, European journal of orthodontics, 17(5), 1995, pp. 395-402
In this study tools were developed to test and compare levelling archw
ires that the manufacturers claim to have superelastic properties. As
the classic spring model and Hook's law cannot be applied, new paramet
ers had to be found. it could be shown that three parameters are neces
sary to describe a superelastic archwire adequately: the distinctivene
ss of the pseudo-elastic plateau, the deflection at the beginning of t
he plateau, and the force level of the plateau. The results showed tha
t many materials either did not show any pseudoelastic properties at a
ll or that the wire parameters were such that they did not give any ad
vantage over conventional work hardened NiTi materials. In many archwi
res the beginning of the plateau and thereby the desired characteristi
cs began only when the archwire was displaced 1 mm or more. For many a
rchwires the force level of this plateau also proved to be rather high
with values often above 500 g.