Objectives: It had previously been found that the strength of phosphate-bonded investments is temperature sensitive. However, while the effect of heat from the cast metal is expected to have some effect on continued reactions and melting, there is no published report dealing with this. It was the purpose of this study to consider further the effects of burnout temperature on strength and the contribution of metal casting temperature and investment composition.
Methods: The disc-rupture test (Luk, H. W.-K. and Darvell, B. W., Strength of phosphate-bonded investments at high temperature. Dental Materials 1991, 7, 99-102) was employed to determine the effect of burnout temperature (ranging from 400 to 1000 degrees C) on the 'actual' strength of six phosphate-bonded investments; the cast metal temperature was controlled to be the same as that of the mould. Atomic absorption was employed to investigate aspects of the composition of the investments.
Results: The 'actual' strength obtained in this test was always higher than the 'service' strength observed in similar testing with the metal at a fixed temperature (1460 degrees C). The 'actual' strength was also temperature sensitive, but with a different pattern of variation compared with the 'service' values. All investments tested were found to behave plastically at high temperatures. Calcium, sodium, zinc and iron were found in appreciable quantities in the investments.
Conclusion: Heat from the high-temperature casting metal has a material effect in decreasing the strength of phosphate-bonded investments. Such heating increases the plastic behaviour of the investment and this, together with the casting pressure, may result in a distorted mould and thus inaccurate castings, a hitherto unrecognized source of error. 'Actual' strength gives no guide to the 'service' strength, emphasizing the need for tests under service conditions. Composition affects investment high-temperature strength substantially.