In vitro corrosion behaviour of plasma nitrided Ti–6Al–7Nb orthopaedic alloy in Hanks solution

Titanium alloy (Ti–6Al–7Nb) used for orthopaedic applications was nitrided using a conventional dc plasmatechnique. Load-dependent microhardness measurements exhibit a hardness of 2087 H_v at 25 g load for the alloy nitrided at 900 8C for 8 h. Cyclic polarization measurement in Hanks solution show maximum corrosion rate and minimum areaof repassivation for the alloy nitrided for 8 h at 900 8C. Electrochemical impedance measurements show an increase in charge transfer resistance and decrease in double layer capacitance when compared to untreated alloy.     

In vitro corrosion behaviour of plasma nitrided Ti–6Al–7Nb orthopaedic alloy in Hanks solution

Titanium alloy (Ti–6Al–7Nb) used for orthopaedic applications was nitrided using a conventional dc plasma technique. Load-dependent microhardness measurements exhibit a hardness of 2087 H_v at 25 g load for the alloy nitrided at 900 °C for 8 h. Cyclic polarization measurement in Hanks solution show maximum corrosion rate and minimum area of repassivation for the alloy nitrided for 8 h at 900 °C. Electrochemical impedance measurements show an increase in charge transfer resistance and decrease in double layer capacitance when compared to untreated alloy.     

Microhardness and corrosion properties of hypoeutectic Al–7Si alloy processed by high-pressure torsion

High-pressure torsion (HPT) was used to produce hypoeutectic Al–7Si alloy samples having a range of microstructures to investigate the effect of the grain refinement on its corrosion behavior in 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution for the first time. Optical microscopy measurements reveal that with the HPT processing increased from 1/4 to 10 revolutions under an applied pressure of 6.0 GPa, brittle coarse silicon particles and intermetallic phases were effectively broken into ultrafine-grained particles and redistributed homogeneously into the Al-rich matrix. Open-circuit potential and polarization curves results exhibit that corrosion resistance of the Al–7Si alloy in NaCl solution was significantly enhanced upon high torsion strains, with corrosion rate reduced from 7.41 μm y⁻¹ for the as-received sample to 1.68 μm y⁻¹ for the 10-turn processed sample. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy analysis combined with characterization of the corroded samples using scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy indicates that the enhancement in corrosion performance of the Al–7Si alloy is due to the breakage of coarse silicon particles and intermetallic phases, the microstructure homogeneity and the increased HPT-induced active sites. It is demonstrated that microstructure refinement through HPT processing can significantly improve both microhardness and corrosion properties of the Al–7Si alloy.     

Mechanical properties and microstructures of β Ti–25Nb–11Sn ternary alloy for biomedical applications

The mechanical properties and microstructures of β Ti–25%Nb–11%Sn ternary alloy rods were investigated for biomedical applications as a function of heat treatment temperature after swaging by an 86% reduction in cross-section area. An as-swaged rod consisting of a β (bcc) single phase shows a low Young's modulus of 53 GPa, which is interpreted in terms of both the metastable composition of the β alloy undergoing neither an athermal ω transformation nor a deformation-induced ω transformation and < 110>texture development during swaging. Heat treatment at 673 K (400 °C) for 2 h leads to a high strength of approximately 1330 MPa and a high spring-back ratio of yield stress to Young's modulus over 15 × 10^? 3, with acceptable elongation. This high strength is attributable to needle-like α precipitates, which are identified by high-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy (HAADF-STEM) and high-resolution electron microscopy (HREM).     

Bending property and phase transformation of Ti–Ni–Cu alloy dental castings for orthodontic application

Bending property of Ti–Ni–Cu alloy castings was investigated in a three-point bending test for orthodontic application in relation to the phase transformation. The compositions of the alloys were Ti–50.8Ni and Ti–40.8Ni–10.0Cu (mol %), and four cross-sectional shapes of the specimens were selected. Heat treatment was performed at 713, 753 or 793 K for 1.8 ks. The bending load changed by the cross-sectional size and shape mainly because of the difference in the moment of inertia of area, but the load–deflection relation did not differ proportionally in the unloading process. The difference between the load values in the loading and the unloading processes was relatively small for Ti–Ni–Cu alloy. With respect to the residual deflection, there was no significant difference between Ti–Ni and Ti–Ni–Cu alloys with the same treatment condition. The load values in the loading and the unloading processes decreased by each heat treatment for Ti–Ni alloy; however, the decrease in the load values for Ti–Ni–Cu alloy was not distinct. It is proved that Ti–Ni–Cu alloy castings produce effective orthodontic force as well as stable low residual deflection, which is likely to be caused by the high and sharp thermal peaks during phase transformation.     

Post-forming tensile properties of superplastic Ti–6Al–4V alloy

Abstract

A study has been made of the influence of uniaxial superplastic deformation on the ambient temperature tensile properties of Ti–6Al–4V sheet. Material was deformed to various strains up to 200% at temperatures from 850 to 970°C at strain rates in the range 1·1?18 × 10^{;amp;#x2212;4}s^?1 (0·7?11% min^?1). Tests were also performed on statically annealed material to separate the effects of high temperature exposure and superplastic deformation. Mechanical property changes were complex and depended on the relative contributions from the strengthening and softening mechanisms occurring during either superplastic deformation or heat cycling. Structural features influencing mechanical properties were phase size and morphology, dislocation density, and crystallographic texture. The strength after superplastic deformation was always less than that of as-received material but a significant reduction in strength was attributable to heat cycling. In some cases, the strength of the superplastically deformed material was greater than that after heat cycling.

MST/593     

Mechanical properties of Ir–Nb–Pt–Al quaternary alloys

Ir–Nb–Pt–Al quaternary alloys had exhibited suitable microstructure for high-temperature usage in the previous study. In this work, investigations were made of the mechanical properties of these quaternary alloys. Compression tests at 1200 °C were carried out for five samples, and compression creep test at 1400 °C under 100 MPa was conducted for one sample. These alloys showed high strength and good creep resistance.     

Effects of Nb content in Ti–Ni–Nb brazing alloys on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Ti–22Al–25Nb alloy brazed joints

Vacuum brazing was successfully used to join Ti–22Al–25Nb alloy using Ti–Ni–Nb brazing alloys prepared by arc-melting. The influence of Nb content in the Ti–Ni–Nb brazing alloys on the interfacial microstructure and mechanical properties of the brazed joints was investigated. The results showed that the interfacial microstructure of brazed joint consisted of B2, O, ?3, and Ti2 Ni phase, while the width of brazing seams varied at different Nb contents. The room temperature shear strength reached359 MPa when the joints were brazed with eutectic Ti40Ni40Nb20 alloy at 1180?C for 20 min, and it was321, 308 and 256 MPa at 500, 650 and 800?C, respectively. Cracks primarily initiated and propagated in ?3compounds, and partially traversed B2+O region. Moreover, the fracture surface displayed typical ductile dimples when cracks propagated through B2+O region, which was favorable for the mechanical properties of the brazed joint.     

Effects of intense cooling on microstructure and properties of friction-stir-welded Ti–6Al–4V alloy

Friction stir welding (FSW) was used to join Ti–6Al–4V alloy in air and under intense cooling conditions. The results show that the application of liquid nitrogen is beneficial in decreasing the peak temperature and in reducing the extent of the high-temperature region during welding, leading to a smaller stir zone (SZ). Intense cooling can lead to refined and homogeneous grains in the SZ, resulting in increased microhardness. The FSW joint produced with intense cooling had a tensile strength of 1020?MPa, which is nearly equivalent to that of the base material and is up to 2.6% higher than for the air-cooled joint. The fractographs for both types of joint were characterised by dimples, indicating that the fractures were ductile.     

Mechanical properties and microstructural evolution during multi-pass ECAR of Al 1100–O alloy

The main objective of this work is to achieve ultra-fine grained structures within the pure aluminum sheet via equal channel angular rolling (ECAR). An attempt has been made to investigate the microstructural evolution and mechanical properties of the processed specimens in terms of process pass numbers and routes. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) examination showed ultra-fine grains (UFGs) with the average grain size of 0.85, 0.34 μm for the seventh pass, respectively. Yield and tensile strengths and microhardness of specimens were significantly increased upon the first pass; however, elongation was dramatically reduced. Subsequent process cycles caused no considerable improvement on the mechanical properties.     

Fatigue behavior of modified surface of Ti–6Al–7Nb and CP-Ti by micro-arc oxidation

The influence of micro-arc oxidation (MAO) process on the fatigue properties of Ti–6Al–7Nb and commercially pure Ti (CP-Ti) was investigated. Polished and anodized specimens of both materials were tested in axial fatigue to obtain S–N curves and the oxide layer was characterized to support the comparison among the fatigue properties resulting from the different surface conditions. The MAO procedure led to the formation of highly porous oxides, with a uniform distribution of pores; oxide films consisted of anatase TiO₂ and were free of Al or any other alloying elements. These morphology, structure and composition are desirable on the surface coating for favoring the implantation by increasing the bonding characteristics between the implant and the bone. Fatigue behavior was not modified by the MAO process in both Ti–6Al–7Nb and CP-Ti when compared to the samples without surface modification. The nano-thickness and double-layer structure of the oxide formed on the MAO process, with an inner compact structure free of defects, as well as the surface compressive residual stresses typically produced by the anatase phase, ascribe the unaffected fatigue performance, rendering the materials in this condition suitable characteristics in designing orthopedic implants.     

Service properties of ultrafine-grained Ti–6Al–4V alloy at elevated temperature

This study deals with investigation of mechanical properties and fatigue behavior of the ultra-fine grained (UFG) alloy Ti–6Al–4V at elevated temperatures. UFG samples were produced by means of combination of equal-channel angular pressing and thermomechanical treatments. Studies of the temperature dependence of mechanical properties of the UFG alloy demonstrated their thermal stability upto 175–350 °C. It was revealed that 100-hour creep rupture strength at 300 °C increased from 750 MPa in the conventional state to 890 MPa in the UFG state. The alloy demonstrates stability of the UFG structure at 300 and 370 °C in the conditions of long-term tests. The fatigue tests were conducted with axial loading applied on a sample at 175 °C, the asymmetry factor of the cycle was 0.1. The fatigue endurance limit of the UFG alloy was almost 50 % higher than that of the CG alloy.     

Influence of oxygen content on microstructure and mechanical properties of Ti–Nb–Ta–Zr alloy

The influence of oxygen content on microstructure and mechanical properties of Ti–22.5Nb–0.7Ta–2Zr (at.%) alloy was investigated in this work. According to experiments, the grains were refined apparently when the oxygen content was between 1.5% and 2.0%. The ultimate tensile strength (UTS) increased and elongation decreased with increasing oxygen content. But at the content of 1.0%, the elongation was nearly the same to that of the original alloy (about 16%). The elastic modulus remained comparatively low (<65 GPa) when the content was lower than 1.5%, and then increased dramatically. Therefore, there existed the best oxygen content-1.0%, at which fine grains were obtained, as well as UTS of 750 MPa, elongation of 16% and elastic modulus of 65 GPa. The Ti–22.5Nb–0.7Ta–2Zr–1.0O alloy maintained typical ductile fracture characteristics of beta titanium alloy, and had a little superelasticity.     

Microstructure features affecting mechanical properties and corrosion behavior of a hypoeutectic Al–Ni alloy

The aim of this article is to analyze the influence of microstructural parameters on the mechanical properties and corrosion behavior of a hypoeutectic Al–Ni alloy. Experimental results include secondary dendrite arm spacing, corrosion potential, current density, pitting potential, ultimate tensile strength and yield strength. It was found that cooling rates during solidification of about 0.6 °C/s and 8 °C/s can provide secondary dendritic spacings of 7 μm and 16 μm, respectively. Although the microstructure having their phases finely and homogeneously distributed was shown to induce better mechanical properties and higher pitting potential, its general corrosion resistance decreased when compared with the corresponding results of the coarser microstructure.     

Effect of creep-aging processing on corrosion resistance of an Al–Zn–Mg–Cu alloy

Creep-aging forming, combining both the aging treatment and forming process, has recently drawn much attention of researchers. In this study, the effects of creep-aging processing on the corrosion resistance of an Al–Zn–Mg–Cu alloy are studied. Results show that the corrosion resistance of the studied Al–Zn–Mg–Cu alloy is sensitive to creep-aging processing parameters (creep-aging temperature and applied stress). With the increase of creep-aging temperature, the corrosion resistance first increases and then decreases. Increasing the applied stress can deteriorate the electrochemical corrosion resistance and improve the exfoliation corrosion resistance. The creep-aging processing can change the size and distribution of precipitates in the aluminum matrix, which significantly affects the corrosion resistance. The discontinuous grain boundary precipitates and narrow precipitate-free zones can enhance the corrosion resistance.     

Effects of pre-treatments on aging precipitates and corrosion resistance of a creep-aged Al–Zn–Mg–Cu alloy

The effects of pre-treatments (solution and retrogression) on aging precipitates and corrosion resistance of a creep-aged Al–Zn–Mg–Cu alloy are investigated by means of transmission electron microscope (TEM), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and cyclic potentiodynamic polarization experiments. It is found that the aging precipitates and corrosion resistance are greatly affected by the pre-treatments. For the creep-aged alloy after solution pre-treatment, fine aging precipitates with high density are formed within grains. Meanwhile, large and continuously-distributed aging precipitates appear along grain boundaries. Also, this creep-aged alloy is strongly sensitive to the electrochemical corrosion, and the corrosion pits are easily induced in the 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution. For the creep-aged alloy after retrogression pre-treatment, when the retrogression pre-treatment time is increased, the density of intragranular aging precipitates first increases and then decreases, while the size of grain boundary precipitate and the width of precipitate free zone continuously increase. Compared with the creep-aged alloy after solution pre-treatment, the corrosion resistance of the creep-aged alloy after retrogression pre-treatment is greatly improved.     

Microindentation study of Ti–6Al–4V alloy

In order to study the micromechanical behavior of Ti–6Al–4V alloy, microindentation experiments were performed with five different maximum loads of 100, 150, 200, 250 and 300 mN, and with three loading speeds of 6.4560, 7.7473 and 9.6841 mN/s respectively. The experimental results revealed that loading speed has little influence on microhardness and Young’s modulus. Microindentation hardness experiments showed strong indentation size effects, i.e. increase of indentation hardness with the decrease of indentation load or depth. Then microindentation constitutive equation that described the stress as a function of the strain was proposed through dimensional analysis. And the finite element simulation results showed that the predicted computational indentation data from developed constitutive equation can track the microindentation experimental data of Ti–6Al–4V alloy.     

Microstructural characteristics and mechanical properties of friction stir welded joints of Ti–6Al–4V titanium alloy

The α + β titanium alloy, Ti–6Al–4V, was friction stir welded at a constant tool rotation speed of 400 rpm. Defect-free welds were successfully obtained with welding speeds ranging from 25 to 100 mm/min. The base material was mill annealed with an initial microstructure composed of elongated primary α and transformed β. A bimodal microstructure was developed in the stir zone during friction stir welding, while microstructure in the heat affected zone was almost not changed compared with that in the base material. An increase in welding speed increased the size of primary α in the stir zone. The weld exhibited lower hardness than the base material and the lowest hardness was found in the stir zone. Results of transverse tensile test indicated that all the joints had lower strength and elongation than the base material, and all the joints were fractured in the stir zone.     

Microstructure and mechanical properties of Al–Si cast alloy with additions of Zr–V–Ti

The microstructure and tensile properties at temperatures up to 300 °C of an experimental Al–7Si–1Cu–0.5Mg (wt.%) cast alloy with additions of Ti, V and Zr were assessed and compared with those of the commercial A380 grade. The microstructure of both alloys consisted of Al dendrites surrounded by Al–Si eutectic containing, within its structure, the ternary Al–Al₂Cu–Si phase. Whereas the Al₁₅(FeCrMn)₃Si₂ phases were present in the A380 alloy, Ti/Zr/V together with Al and Si phases, Al(ZrTiV)Si, were identified in the experimental alloy. As a result of chemistry modification the experimental alloy achieved from 20% to 40% higher strength and from 1.5 to 5 times higher ductility than the A380 reference grade. The role of chemistry in improving the alloy thermal stability is discussed.     

Corrosion resistance of directionally solidified Al–6Cu–1Si and Al–8Cu–3Si alloys castings

The aim of this article is to compare the electrochemical corrosion resistance of two as-cast Al–6 wt.% Cu–1 wt.% Si and Al–8 wt.% Cu–3 wt.% Si alloys considering both the solutes macrosegregation profiles and the scale of the microstructure dendritic arrays. A water-cooled unidirectional solidification system was used to obtain the as-cast samples. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and potentiodynamic anodic polarization techniques were used to analyze the corrosion resistance in a 0.5 M NaCl solution at 25 °C. It was found that the Al–8Cu–3Si alloy has better electrochemical corrosion resistance than the Al–6Cu–1Si alloy for any position along the casting length. At the castings regions where the Cu inverse profile prevailed (up to about 10 mm from the castings surface) the corrosion current density decreased up to 2.5 times with the decrease in the secondary dendrite arm spacing.