A rapid heating and cooling rate dilatometer for measuring thermal expansion in dental porcelain.

Herein we describe a dilatometer that consists of a low-mass infrared furnace for rapid heating or cooling, an optical pyrometer, and a laser interferometer. The dilatometer facilitates observations of thermal expansion at rates comparable with those in dental laboratory practice over the temperature range necessary for comparison of thermal expansion of dental porcelain and alloy. Examples of thermal expansion data obtained at a 600 degrees C/min heating rate on NIST SRM 710 glass and dental porcelain are reported. To a limited extent, thermal expansion data above the glass-transition temperature range of dental porcelain were obtained. A shift of the glass-transition temperature range to higher temperatures was observed for both materials, compared with data obtained at 20 degrees C/min.