Tribological Behaviour of Ti6Al4V Alloy: An Application in Small Joint Implants

Abstract

The presented study deals with the analysis of the tribological behaviour of the Ti6Al4V alloy manufactured conventionally. The study aimed to verify whether the titanium alloy is suitable for use as a contact material in small joint implants, as additive manufacturing of this alloy can in the future provide certain benefits, such as individualization and simplification of the implant construction, or controlled porosity. The tested pair consisted of a pin and a glass plate lubricated with model synovial fluid. The contact area was observed with colorimetric interferometry. Alongside film thickness, friction, and wear scars were measured. From the designed experimental conditions, the titanium alloy was not able to create a sufficiently thick lubrication film to overcome its surface roughness and damage to contact surfaces occurred. Friction was comparable for all the tested configurations. The application of conventionally manufactured titanium alloy as a contact surface in small joint implants seems to not be suitable since its performance fell short when compared to conventional cobaltous alloy. Nevertheless, there are various alternative methods available, such as unconventional manufacturing, polishing, surface texturing, and coating. Graphical Abstract

Sliding and Fretting Wear Behavior of Biomedical Ultrafine-Grained TiNbZrTaFe/Si Alloys in Simulated Physiological Solution

“…Its low tribological performance leads to wear debris, which can result in a number of health problems such as inflammation, toxicity, and bone loss. Excessive wear of artificial joints in the body has been a major problem affecting joint replacement life [13,14]. The abrasion of the artificial joint may cause the immune reaction of tissues around the body and even toxicity, leading to bone absorption and loosening [15].…”

“…A better understanding of the mechanisms involving the friction and wear of titanium alloys is required to improve tribological properties. Extensive studies have been made on the wear behaviors of CP-Ti, TC4, Ti-Nb-Ta-Zr, Ti-Nb-Zr, Ti-Zr-Hf-Nb-Fe, and Ti-Nb-Ga alloys in both dry and wet conditions [13,14,[36][37][38][39][40]. Many reports so far have focused on the tribological behaviors of titanium alloys under reciprocating sliding or fretting wear conditions [41][42][43][44][45].…”