The metallography of solid mercury and amalgams
During the last three years an investigation into the properties of dental alloys and the phenomenon of setting of amalgams has been in progress in the Metallurgy Department of the National Physical Laboratory on behalf of the Dental Investigation Committee of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, and with the aid of funds provided by the Dental Board of the United Kingdom. This investigation has been concerned chiefly with a study of the ternary amalgams of silver, tin and mercury, which are the basis of amalgams used as filling materials in dental practice. Owing to the absence of any recorded systematic survey, it became necessary to examine the constitution of the amalgams over the whole range of composition from 0 to 100 per cent, mercury. For this purpose it was desired to determine the microstructure of pure mercury and the dilute amalgams, in addition to those which, containing smaller percentages of mercury, are completely solid at ordinary temperatures. The melting point of pure mercury is — 38 • 85° C. In all series of amalgams, that is, alloys of mercury with other metals, therefore, the alloys within certain ranges of composition are completely or partially molten at normal temperatures. As a consequence, the investigation of the constitution in the solid state of the whole of an alloy system in which one of the components is mercury requires the application of a technique developed with particular reference to the characteristic properties of this metal.