Corrosion of Ti[sbnd]6Al[sbnd]4V orthopaedic alloy under stress

Abstract

During in vivo function, implant surfaces are exposed to a corrosive environment as well as a wide range of tensile and compressive stresses. The objective of this study was to study the corrosion behavior of the Ti6Al4V orthopaedic alloy under different levels (ranging from plastic to elastic) of tensile stress, compressive stress, and combined tensile and compressive stresses in phosphate buffered saline 1X solution. The introduction of stress was found to alter the corrosion behavior of the Ti6Al4V alloy. The corrosion behavior was slightly improved under compressive stress while specimens under tensile stress showed weaker corrosion resistance compared to the specimens under zero stress. Nonetheless, the synergistic action of the tensile and compressive stresses considerably increased the corrosion activity of the specimens, more than that when they were just under tensile stress. The worst corrosion behavior was observed for the specimens under coupled elastic stress.