Surface Engineered Titanium Alloys for Biomedical, Automotive, and Aerospace Applications

Abstract

AbstractThis chapter provides an overview of surface modification of titanium alloy for applications in aerospace, automotive, and biomedical field. Current uses for titanium alloys are found in biomedical, automotive, aerospace, and other industrial applications. For aerospace uses, titanium alloys can be used for about 70% of the total, including engine components and airframe structures. Titanium alloys provide a notable advantage in several industrial applications, including heat exchangers, cooling systems in power stations, and chemical industries. In recent times, titanium alloys have been used in oil and gas drilling industries. It was observed that surface degradation of titanium alloy was observed in all the above applications after a certain amount of time or cycle. To enhance the surface properties of titanium alloy, surface engineering of titanium alloy with the appropriate surface modification technique is essential. The present trends predicted that industrial and commercial segments of titanium alloys could triple in the next five years. This chapter presents several case studies involving surface engineering techniques used for titanium alloys for potential automotive, biomedical, and aerospace applications. The demand for applications like the aerospace, biomedical, and automotive industry of titanium alloy boosts the ever-increasing demands for improving the surface modification of titanium alloys to meet the various needs. However, these alloys cannot possess all the desired attributes, especially important surface properties like wear and corrosion resistance. Therefore, surface modification techniques have to be used to enhance surface properties and satisfy the specific needs for various applications. This chapter discusses various surface modification methods used for titanium alloys to protect them from degradation. Titanium and titanium alloys can be extensively used in biomedical components and devices, especially in cardiac and cardiovascular applications, as hard tissue replacements. However, titanium alloys cannot meet all clinical requirements. Surface modification is often required to improve the biological, chemical, and mechanical properties. The present chapter also highlights the various surface modification techniques pertaining to titanium alloys, including thermal spraying, sol–gel, electrochemical treatment, and ion implantation from biomedical engineering. The present study focuses on improving the surface properties of titanium alloy for better wear resistance, corrosion resistance, and other biological properties using appropriate surface modification techniques while the desirable bulk attributes are retained.KeywordsSurface modificationWearCorrosionBiomedicalAutomotiveAerospace