Modified maximum tangential stress criterion for fracture behavior of zirconia/veneer interfaces

The veneering porcelain sintered on zirconia is widely used in dental prostheses, but repeated mechanical loadings may cause a fracture such as edge chipping or delamination. In order to predict the crack initiation angle and fracture toughness of zirconia/veneer bi-layered components subjected to mixed mode loadings, the accuracy of a new and traditional fracture criteria are investigated. A modified maximum tangential stress criterion considering the effect of T-stress and critical distance theory is introduced, and compared to three traditional fracture criteria. Comparisons to the recently published fracture test data show that the traditional fracture criteria are not able to properly predict the fracture initiation conditions in zirconia/veneer bi-material joints. The modified maximum tangential stress criterion provides more accurate predictions of the experimental results than the traditional fracture criteria.