An experimental study on diameter increase of orthodontic wire by electroplating

Cho, Jin Hyoung; Sung, Young Eun; Lee, Ki Heon; Hwang, Hyeon Shik

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the possibile clinical application of electroplating to increase diameter of an orthodontic wire, through examining the change of physical properties. The diameter of stainless steel orthodontic wire was increased from 0.016 inch to 0.018 inch by electroplating in a bath of nickel sulfate 100g/L, nickel chloride 60g/L, boric acid 30g/L, and sodium chloride 50g/L, under the conditions of 1.7V, 25~29degrees C, and 3.1~3.3pH. During the electroplating, the rate of diameter increase was measured every minute. To investigate uniformity, the diameter was measured at three different locations of each wire specimen after electroplating. An X-ray diffraction test was performed to analyze the nature of the electroplated metal. Following heat treatment to improve adhesion between the wire and electroplated metal, a three-point bending test was conducted to compare stiffness, yield strength, and ultimate strength among four wire groups; 0.016 inch, electroplated 016, electroplated and heat-treated 016, and 0.018 inch wires. Through the comparison of each wire group, following results were obtained. 1. In the load-deflection graph, the curve of the electroplated group was placed between that of the 0.016 inch group and the 0.018 inch group, and the curve was closer to the 0.018 inch group by heat treatment. 2. In the electroplated and heat-treated 016 wire group, the values of stiffness, yield strength and ultimate strength showed higher tendency than in the original 0.016 inch group. Stiffness and ultimate strength showed statistically significant differences between two groups. 3. Stiffness, yield strength, and ultimate strength of electroplated wire presented lower values than those of 0.018 inch wire group. 4. Stiffness, yield strength, and ultimate strength of electroplated and heat-treated wire showed higher tendency than those of electroplated wire group, and ultimate strength showed statistically significant difference between two groups. 5. After electroplating, the difference in diameter between the three locations was within 0.1~0.3% variation, and showed no statistical significance.