Flexural Strength and Open Porosity of Two Different Veneering Ceramics for Zirconia Framework

The studies were designed to compare the biaxial flexural test (BFT) and 3-point bending test (3PBT) of two kinds of veneering ceramics for zirconia framework, and then to measure the open porosity of the veneering ceramics by Archimedes method and to characterize their micro-structures using secondary electron imaging under scan electric microscope (SEM). Flexural strength of IPS Zirpress veneering ceramic was significantly higher than IPS e.max Ceram (IPSC), no significant difference was found between BFT and 3PBT when used to investigate the same type of veneering ceramic. SEM indicated that the open porosity of IPS e.max Ceram is higher than IPS Zirpress.