Mechanical Characteristics and Corrosion Behavior of Two New Titanium Alloys

Abstract

While Ti6Al4V is one of the most used titanium alloys in the biomaterials field, it is not without its challenges and limitations, among which very important is the modulus mismatch with the bone. This modulus mismatch can lead to stress shielding potentially leading to bone resorption and implant loosening. Researchers continue to explore alternative materials and modifications to address this challenge and improve the performance of biomaterials. Two new fabricated titanium alloys Ti-10Al and Ti-4Fe are analyzed in this paper from corrosion and elastic modulus points of view. Metallography, microhardness, open circuit potential, DC electrochemical linear polarization, and Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy were performed. It was found that the corrosion resistance measurement for the Ti4Fe alloy is two orders of magnitude lower than for the Ti10Al alloy as determined by the equivalent circuit simulation, which is also supported by the similar disparity in the corrosion rate values for the two alloys which was determined using the DC method. The modulus of elasticity values were fairly close, hovering about 35GPa, and were lower than those of many commercial alloys.