Fatigue behavior and physical characterization of surface-modified Ti-6Al-4V ELI alloy by micro-arc oxidation

Abstract

Anodizing has proven an effective method for preparing bioactive titanium and has been the subject of many studies regarding the performance and biological characterization of the layers obtained. However, the fatigue behavior of titanium alloys, after undergoing this process is still poorly studied. This study aims to investigate the influence of MAO (Micro-Arc Oxidation) process on the fatigue properties of titanium alloy Ti-6Al-4V. Therefore axial fatigue tests were performed to obtain SxN curves, of specimens in polished and anodized (MAO processed, phosphate salt solution, potential of 290 V) conditions. Roughness measurements, SEM, Raman spectra and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analyses were used to characterize the features of the modified surface. SEM was also used to analyze the fatigue fractures of the tested specimens. The MAO process, with the parameters used in this investigation, had no influence on the fatigue behavior of the Ti-6Al-4V alloy, when compared to specimens without surface modification.