Deactivation force-deflection behavior of multistranded stainless steel wires

Abstract This investigation measured the deactivation (unloading) force-deflection behavior of selected multistranded stainless steel orthodontic wires. The guidelines from the revised American National Standards Institute/American Dental Association Specification No. 32 for orthodontic wires (type 2, nonlinear elasticity) were used to perform a 3-point bending test to obtain data for the deactivation force levels at 3, 2, 1, and 0.5 mm, and permanent deformation values. The study tested 20 wire designs: triple-stranded twisted wires, 5- and 6-stranded coaxial wires, and 8- and 9-stranded braided rectangular wires of selected cross-sections. Twenty specimens were tested for each wire design. The specification guidelines for testing provided a means for obtaining comparative unloading force delivery data for the deflections tested. Multistranded wires of significantly different cross-section, weave, and strand number fell within relatively narrow ranges of force delivery at the 0.5-mm (1.7-42.7 grams-force [gmf]) and 1-mm (31.1-134.2 gmf) deflections and wider ranges of force levels at the 2-mm (57.0-320.5 gmf) and 3-mm (72.5-451.8 gmf) deflections. All wires exhibited some permanent deformation, but none averaged greater than 0.66 mm. The testing also showed that multistranded wires of significantly different design exhibit similar force levels. The guidelines of the revised Specification No. 32 yielded deactivation data with regard to force delivery and provided comparisons of the wire designs tested.