Fatigue-life and stress distribution of a glass-ceramic under different loading conditions

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of different loading conditions on the mechanical behavior and stress distribution of a leucite-reinforced glass-ceramic. Plate-shaped ceramic specimens were obtained from leucite-reinforced glass-ceramic (1.5 × 8.4 × 8.3 mm) and adhesively cemented to a dentin analog substrate. Monotonic and cyclic contact fatigue tests were performed to simulate sphere-to-flat contact, using a 6 mm diameter spherical piston; and flat-to-flat contact, using a 3 mm diameter flat piston. For the monotonic test (n=20), a gradual compressive load (0.5 mm/min) was applied to the specimen using a universal testing machine. Failure load data were analyzed with Weibull statistics. The cyclic contact fatigue test was performed using protocols (load and a number of cycles) defined by the boundary technique (n=30). Fatigue data were analyzed using an inverse power law relationship and Weibull-lifetime distribution. The stress distribution was investigated using Finite Element Analysis (FEA). The monotonic and the fatigue Weibull modulus were similar among the two contact conditions. In fatigue, the slow crack growth exponent was greater for sphere-to-flat contact, which indicates that the load level had a greater effect on the specimen's probability of failure. In conclusion, FEA showed different stress distribution for the tested loading conditions. The stress distribution and probability of fatigue failure of specimens tested in sphere-to-flat contact showed greater dependency to load level.