Wear and friction properties of experimental Ti–Si–Zr alloys for biomedical applications

Abstract

Titanium alloys are widely used in biomedical applications due to their higher biocompatibility in comparison to other metallic biomaterials. However, they commonly contain aluminum and vanadium, whose ions may be detrimental to the nervous system. Furthermore, they suffer from poor wear resistance, which limits their applications. The aim of this study was to evaluate the tribological performance of experimental Ti–1.25Si–5Zr, Ti–2.5Si–5Zr, Ti–6Si–5Zr and Ti–2.5Si–5Zr–0.2Pd alloys as compared to that of control Ti–6Al–4V, CoCr F75 and CoCr F799 alloys. Friction and wear tests were performed using a standard ball-on-disc rig in serum solution at ambient temperature with Si3N4-balls as counterparts. The alloys microstructure and hardness were investigated using optical microscopy, XRD, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Vickers indentation.The coefficients of friction of the experimental Ti–Si–Zr alloys were generally lower than the commercial ones with Ti–6Si–5Zr presenting the lowest value (approx. 0.1). Their wear rates were found to be 2–7 times lower than that of the commercial Ti–6Al–4V alloy, but still higher than those of the CoCr alloys. SEM analysis of worn surfaces showed that abrasion was the predominant wear mechanism for all studied materials. Wear and friction were influenced by the formation and stability of transfer layers, and while commercial Ti–6Al–4V as well as the experimental Ti–Si–Zr alloys demonstrated extensive material transfer to the ceramic counterparts, the CoCr alloys did not show such material transfer.