AGING BEHAVIOR IN A DENTAL LOW-GOLD ALLOY WITH HIGH COPPER CONTENT

Phase transformation behaviour in a dental low-gold alloy with high co pper content during continuous heating was investigated by hardness te sts, electrical resistivity measurements, X-ray diffraction, scanning and transmission electron microscopies. Two kinds of solution treatmen t conditions (at 873 K and 1073 K) followed by iced-brine quench, repr esented different ageing behaviours. Although subsequent anisothermal annealing produced same phase separation of face-centred cubic disorde red and ordered (Cu3Au) phases in both specimens, the specimen quenche d from 1073 K had already been hardened by a spinodal decomposition. ( C) 1998 Chapman & Hall.