Made available in DSpace on 2014-12-17T14:07:01Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 HarrisonAD.pdf: 3488100 bytes, checksum: 805801db06d21e5667735d16a5799fe2 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2008-05-30 / The cobalt-chromium alloy is extensively used in the Odontology for the confection of metallic scaffolding in partial removable denture. During the last few years, it has been reported an increasing number of premature imperfections, with a few months of prosthesis use. The manufacture of these components is made in prosthetic laboratories and normally involves recasting, using parts of casting alloy and parts of virgin alloy. Therefore, the objective of the present study was to analyze the mechanical properties of a commercial cobalt-chromium alloy of odontological use after successive recasting, searching information to guide the dental prosthesis laboratories in the correct manipulation of the cobalt-chromium alloy in the process of casting and the possible limits of recasting in the mechanical properties of this material. Seven sample groups were confectioned, each one containing five test bodies, divided in the following way: G1: casting only with virgin alloy; G2: casting with 50% of the alloy of the G1 + 50% of virgin alloy; G3: casting with 50% of the alloy of the G2 + 50% of virgin alloy; G4: casting with 50% of the alloy of the G3 + 50% of virgin alloy; G5: 50% of alloy of the G4 + 50% of virgin alloy; G6: 50% of alloy of the G5 + 50% of virgin alloy and finally the G7, only with recasting alloy. The modifications in the mechanical behavior of the alloy were evaluated. Moreover, it was carried the micro structural characterization of the material by optic and electronic scanning microscopy, and X ray diffraction.and fluorescence looking into the correlatation of the mechanical alterations with structural modifications of the material caused by successive recasting process. Generally the results showed alterations in the fracture energy of the alloy after successive recasting, resulting mainly of the increasing presence of pores and large voids, characteristic of the casting material. Thus, the interpretation of the results showed that the material did not reveal significant differences with respect to the tensile strength or elastic limit, as a function of successive recasting. The elastic modulus increased from the third recasting cycle on, indicating that the material can be recast only twice. The fracture energy of the material decreased, as the number of recasting cycles increased. With respect to the microhardness, the statistical analyses showedno significant differences. Electronic scanning microscopy revealed the presence of imperfections and defects, resulting of the recasting process. X ray diffraction and fluorescence did not show alterations in the composition of the alloy or the formation of crystalline phases between the analyzed groups. The optical micrographs showed an increasing number of voids and porosity as the material was recast. Therefore, the general conclusion of this study is that the successive recasting of of Co-Cr alloys affects the mechanical properties of the material, consequently leading to the failure of the prosthetic work. Based on the results, the best recommendadition is that the use of the material should be limited to two recasting cycles / Ligas cobalto-cromo s?o extensivamente utilizadas na Odontologia para a confec??o de arma??es met?licas em pr?teses parciais remov?veis. Durante os ?ltimos anos, tem sido reportado um n?mero crescente de falhas prematuras, com poucos meses de utiliza??o das pr?teses. A fabrica??o desses componentes ? feita em laborat?rios prot?ticos e normalmente envolve a refundi??o, utilizando partes de liga fundida e partes de liga virgem. Portanto, o objetivo do presente estudo foi analisar as propriedades mec?nicas de uma liga comercial de cobalto-cromo de uso odontol?gico ap?s sucessivas refundi??es, buscando informa??es no sentido de orientar os laborat?rios de pr?tese dent?ria na correta manipula??o dessa liga no processo de fundi??o e nos poss?veis limites de refundi??o desse material. Foram confeccionados sete grupos de amostras, cada um contendo cinco corpos de prova, divididos da seguinte maneira: G1: fundi??o apenas com liga virgem; G2: fundi??o com 50% da liga do G1 + 50% de liga virgem; G3: fundi??o com 50% da liga do G2 + 50% de liga virgem; G4: fundi??o com 50% da liga do G3 + 50% de liga virgem; G5: 50% de liga do G4 + 50% de liga virgem; G6: 50% de liga do G5 + 50% de liga virgem e finalmente o G7, s? com liga refundida. Foram avaliadas as principais modifica??es ocorridas no comportamento mec?nico dessa liga por meio de ensaios de tra??o e microdureza. Al?m disso, foi realizada a caracteriza??o microestrutural do material por meio de microscopia ?ptica e eletr?nica de varredura, difra??o e fluoresc?ncia de raios X procurando correlacionar as altera??es mec?nicas com modifica??es estruturais do material ocasionadas pelos sucessivos processos de refundi??o. De forma geral os resultados mostraram altera??es na plasticidade e energia de fratura da liga ap?s sucessivas refundi??es, decorrentes principalmente da crescente presen?a de poros e vazios, defeitos caracter?sticos da fundi??o do material. A interpreta??o dos resultados permitiu concluir que o material n?o apresentou diferen?as significativas em rela??o ? resist?ncia ? tra??o ou ao limite el?stico, em fun??o das sucessivas refundi??es. A energia de fratura do material mostrou tend?ncia ? diminui??o, ? medida que o material foi refundido. Em rela??o ? microdureza, as an?lises estat?sticas mostraram n?o haver diferen?as significativas. A microscopia eletr?nica revelou a presen?a de falhas e defeitos, resultantes dos processos de refundi??es. A an?lise por fluoresc?ncia e difra??o de raios X n?o mostrou altera??es na composi??o da liga ou na forma??o de fases cristalinas entre os grupos analisados. As micrografias ?pticas mostraram um crescente n?mero de vazios e aumento da porosidade ? medida que o material foi refundido. Assim, a conclus?o geral do trabalho ? que as sucessivas refundi??es em ligas de Co-Cr comprometem as propriedades mec?nicas do material, o que pode levar a falhas e consequentemente, ao fracasso do trabalho prot?tico. Com base nos resultados, o mais recomendado ? a utiliza??o de no m?ximo duas refundi??es, para que as propriedades do material n?o sejam comprometidas