FRICTION AND WEAR BEHAVIOUR OF Ti-6AI-7Nb BIOMATERIAL ALLOY

Abstract

Titanium and its alloys have been used as implant materials due to their very good mechanical and corrosion resistance and biocompatibility [1,2]. The most used biomaterials were commercially pure titanium (CP-Ti} issued in clinics, although CP- Ti has been pointed out to have disadvantages of low strength, difficulty for polishing, and poor wear resistance. Therefore, Titanium is still insufficient for high-stress applications ; e.g., long spanned fixed prostheses and the frameworks of removable partial dentures.Ti-6Al-4V alloy, originally developped as an aeronautical material, has been tested as a replacement for CP-Ti, because of its high mechanical properties with sufficient corrosion resistance[3], however, the cytoxicity of elemental Vanadium is questionable. Subsequently, some researches prove that vanadium and aluminum ions released from this ternary alloy can induce cytoxic effects or neurological disorders, respectively [4]. Also, for long-term, this alloy has transferred in sufficient load to adjacent bones, resulting in good resorbption and eventual loosening of the implant. Another ternary alloy used as implants was vanadium free, a+ii alloy, especially Ti-6Al-7Nb alloy that revealed improved mechanical characteristics, corrosion resistance and biocompatibility , developed for orthopedics application as a wrought material, has been evaluated as a new alloy for total hip prostheses. Niobium exhibits a similar effect to vanadium instabilizing ii phase in the Ti-Nb binary system, which is necessary for providing the a -ii two-phase structure. Therefore, niobium was used as the ternary element to produce the desirable microstructure in the Ti-6Al-7Nb alloy. Ascompared with Ti-6Al-4 V alloy, in a tensile test, these alloy show slightly lower strength and about 40% higher elongation.