A comparative study on the tribological behavior of Ti-6Al-4V and Ti-24Nb-4Zr-8Sn alloys in simulated body fluid

Abstract

The objective of the study is to assess the tribological behavior of Ti-24Nb-4Zr-8Sn (β-type microstructure) alloy in terms of coefficient of friction and tangential force and compare it with Ti-6Al-4V (α+β-type microstructure) alloy for joint prostheses. The coefficient of friction (µ) was weakly dependent on load for both the alloys, but tangential force increased with load. On the other hand, the coefficient of friction was independent of sliding velocity but was slightly greater for Ti2448 alloy. Higher hardness and higher strain hardening capacity of Ti64 alloy attributed to marginally superior wear resistance in comparison to Ti2448 alloy. The morphology of wear track on Ti64 alloy represented a rough appearance with grooves and scratches, indicating the mode of wear was abrasive. On Ti2448 alloy, scratches along the wear track with islands of microscopically smooth oxide layers flaking off from the surface indicated a mixed mode of wear including abrasive and adhesive.