Influence of thermomechanical processing on biomechanical compatibility and electrochemical behavior of new near beta alloy, Ti-20.6Nb-13.6Zr-0.5V

Abstract

Mohsin Talib Mohammed,1 Zahid A Khan,1 Geetha Manivasagam,2 Arshad N Siddiquee1 1Mechanical Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, 2Centre for Biomaterials Science and Technology, VIT University, Vellore, India Abstract: This paper presents the results for the effect of different methods of thermomechanical processing on the mechanical properties and electrochemical behavior of metastable β alloy Ti-20.6Nb-13.6Zr-0.5V (TNZV). The thermomechanical processing included hot working, solution heat treatments at different temperatures, and cooling rates in addition to aging. The thermomechanical processing conditions used in the study resulted in attainment of a wide range of microstructures with varying spatial distributions and morphologies of elongated/equiaxed α, β phases, or martensite, as a result of which several tensile properties were achieved. Aging treatment led to an increase in hardness, elastic modulus, and tensile strength and a decrease in ductility (elongation). Electrochemical tests indicated that the TNZV alloy undergoes spontaneous passivation due to spontaneous formation of an oxide film in the environment of the human body. Because the air-cooled samples possessed high hardness and also a fine grain size, they showed a lower corrosion rate than the samples treated under other conditions. Keywords: titanium alloys, biomedical applications, mechanical properties, corrosion