TY - JOUR
T1 - Wear resistance of laser-deposited boride reinforced Ti-Nb-Zr-Ta alloy composites for orthopedic implants
AU - Samuel, Sonia
AU - Nag, Soumya
AU - Scharf, Thomas W.
AU - Banerjee, Rajarshi
PY - 2008/4/1
Y1 - 2008/4/1
N2 - The inherently poor wear resistance of titanium alloys limits their application as femoral heads in femoral (hip) implants. Reinforcing the soft matrix of titanium alloys (including new generation β-Ti alloys) with hard ceramic precipitates such as borides offers the possibility of substantially enhancing the wear resistance of these composites. The present study discusses the microstructure and wear resistance of laser-deposited boride reinforced composites based on Ti-Nb-Zr-Ta alloys. These composites have been deposited using the LENS™ process from a blend of elemental Ti, Nb, Zr, Ta, and boron powders and consist of complex borides dispersed in a matrix of β-Ti. The wear resistance of these composites has been compared with that of Ti-6Al-4V ELI, the current material of choice for orthopedic femoral implants, against two types of counterfaces, hard Si3N4 and softer SS440C stainless steel. Results suggest a substantial improvement in the wear resistance of the boride reinforced Ti-Nb-Zr-Ta alloys as compared with Ti-6Al-4V ELI against the softer counterface of SS440. The presence of an oxide layer on the surface of these alloys and composites also appears to have a substantial effect in terms of enhanced wear resistance.
AB - The inherently poor wear resistance of titanium alloys limits their application as femoral heads in femoral (hip) implants. Reinforcing the soft matrix of titanium alloys (including new generation β-Ti alloys) with hard ceramic precipitates such as borides offers the possibility of substantially enhancing the wear resistance of these composites. The present study discusses the microstructure and wear resistance of laser-deposited boride reinforced composites based on Ti-Nb-Zr-Ta alloys. These composites have been deposited using the LENS™ process from a blend of elemental Ti, Nb, Zr, Ta, and boron powders and consist of complex borides dispersed in a matrix of β-Ti. The wear resistance of these composites has been compared with that of Ti-6Al-4V ELI, the current material of choice for orthopedic femoral implants, against two types of counterfaces, hard Si3N4 and softer SS440C stainless steel. Results suggest a substantial improvement in the wear resistance of the boride reinforced Ti-Nb-Zr-Ta alloys as compared with Ti-6Al-4V ELI against the softer counterface of SS440. The presence of an oxide layer on the surface of these alloys and composites also appears to have a substantial effect in terms of enhanced wear resistance.
KW - Biomaterials
KW - Friction
KW - Metal matrix composites
KW - Titanium boride
KW - Tribology
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=39749092610&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.msec.2007.04.029
DO - 10.1016/j.msec.2007.04.029
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:39749092610
SN - 0928-4931
VL - 28
SP - 414
EP - 420
JO - Materials Science and Engineering C
JF - Materials Science and Engineering C
IS - 3
ER -