Abstract
Ti-6Al-7Nb alloy was cast into three differently designed, removable partial denture frameworks: Palatal strap (PS), Anterior-posterior bar (AP), and Horseshoe-shaped bar (HS). The vertical displacement and local strain of Ti-6Al-7Nb alloy frameworks were investigated to compare against those of Co-Cr alloy frameworks. Vertical loading force of 19.6N was applied at two locations, 10 and 20mm, from the distal end of the framework. Although higher vertical displacement and local strain were observed for Ti-6Al-7Nb alloy frameworks than those for Co-Cr alloy frameworks, the PS framework appeared to show the least deformation. In addition, the strain at 10-mm location was higher than that at 20-mm location for AP and HS frameworks. This study thus proved that design had a significant influence on the deformation properties of denture frameworks. The PS design was evaluated to be a suitable design for the removable denture framework with Ti-6Al-7Nb alloy.
