Fatigue Life of Cast Titanium Alloys Under Simulated Denture Framework Displacements

The objective of the study was to evaluate the hypothesis that the mechanical properties and fatigue behavior of removable partial dentures (RPD) made from cast titanium alloys can be improved by alloying with low-cost, low-melting elements such as Cu, Al, and Fe using commercially pure Ti (CP-Ti) and Ti-6Al-4V as controls. RPD specimens in the form of rest-shaped, clasp, rectangular-shaped specimens and round-bar tensile specimens were cast using an experimental Ti-5Al-5Cu alloy, Ti-5Al-1Fe, and Ti-1Fe in an Al₂O₃-based investment with a centrifugal-casting machine. The mechanical properties of the alloys were determined by performing tensile tests under a controlled displacement rate. The fatigue life of the RPD specimens was tested by the three-point bending in an MTS testing machine under a cyclic displacement of 0.5 mm. Fatigue tests were performed at 10 Hz at ambient temperature until the specimens failed into two pieces. The tensile data were statistically analyzed using one-way ANOVA (α = 0.05) and the fatigue life data were analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier survival analysis (α = 0.05). The experimental Ti-5Al-5Cu alloy showed a significantly higher average fatigue life than that of either CP-Ti or Ti-5Al-1Fe alloy (p < 0.05). SEM fractography showed that the fatigue cracks initiated from surface grains, surface pores, or hard particles in surface grains instead of the internal casting pores. Among the alloys tested, the Ti-5Al-5Cu alloy exhibited favorable results in fabricating dental appliances with an excellent fatigue behavior compared with other commercial alloys.     

Transient-evoked otoacoustic emissions and contralateral suppression in patients with unilateral tinnitus

OBJECTIVE: Finding an optimal soldering system for a titanium prosthesis has become increasingly important with the successful introduction of titanium and titanium alloys to dentistry. This study examined the effect of corrosion on the strength of the soldered joints of pure titanium and Ti-6Al-4V alloys joined using various solders. METHODS: Commercially pure titanium and Ti-6Al-4V alloy rods (2 mm in diameter; 25 mm long) were soldered in an argon atmosphere using four solders: two kinds of titanium-based solder, a gold-based solder, and a silver-based solder. Tensile strengths were examined before or after immersion treatments. Specimens were immersed in either a 0.9% NaCl or 1.0% lactic acid solution held at 35 degrees C for 3 and 8 wk. The amounts of various metal elements released were determined by atomic absorption photospectroscopy. The natural potentials and potentiodynamic polarization behavior of the soldered specimens in 0.9% NaCl or 1.0% lactic acid were determined by a computer-assisted corrosion measurement system. The results were analyzed by ANOVA and Student's t-test. RESULTS: The cp-titanium and Ti-6Al-4V samples soldered with titanium-based solders exhibited tensile strengths of 300-400 MPa and were not significantly affected by immersion in either solution (no significant difference at p < 0.05). The strengths of both the cp-titanium and titanium alloy specimens soldered with gold-based solder were significantly lower than for any of the other specimens and were affected by immersion in the 0.9% NaCl solution (p < 0.01). The cp-titanium and Ti-6Al-4V specimens that were soldered with titanium-based solders did not show any transpassive regions or breakdown in the natural electrode potential range. On the contrary, the specimens soldered with gold-based and silver-based solders showed transpassive regions or breakdown potentials at less than 0 mV in 0.9% NaCl solution. SIGNIFICANCE: It is recommended that titanium-based solder be employed for titanium and titanium alloys.     

Brazing of Ti-6Al-4V and niobium using three silver-base braze alloys

Evaluations of the (infrared)-brazed Ti-6Al-4V and niobium joints using three silver-base braze alloys have been extensively studied. According to the dynamic wetting angle measurement results, the niobium substrate cannot be effectively wetted by all three braze alloys. Because the dissolution of Ti-6Al-4V substrate causes transport of Ti into the molten braze, the molten braze dissolved with Ti can effectively wet the niobium substrate during brazing. For infrared-brazed Ti-6Al-4V/Ag/Nb joint, it is mainly comprised of the Ag-rich matrix. The TiAg reaction layer is observed at the interface between the braze and Ti-6Al-4V substrate. In contrast, Ti-rich, Ag-rich, and interfacial TiAg phases are found in the furnace-brazed specimen. The dominated Ti-rich phase in the joint is caused by enhanced dissolution between the molten braze and Ti-6Al-4V substrate. The infrared-brazed Ti-6Al-4V/72Ag-28Cu/Nb joint is mainly comprised of the Ag-rich matrix and Ag-Cu eutectic. With increasing the brazing temperature or time, the amount of Ag-Cu eutectic is decreased, and the interfacial Cu-Ti reaction layer(s) is increased. The infrared brazed joint has the highest average shear strength of 224.1 MPa. The averaged shear strength of the brazed joint is decreased with increasing brazing temperature or time, and its fracture location changes from the braze alloy into the interfacial reaction layer(s) due to excessive growth of the Cu-Ti intermetallics. The infrared-brazed Ti-6Al-4V/95Ag-5Al/Nb joint is composed of Ag-rich matrix and TiAl interfacial reaction layer. With increasing the brazing time, the amount of Ag-rich phase is greatly decreased, and the interfacial reaction layer becomes Ti₃Al due to enhanced dissolution of Ti-6Al-4V substrate into the molten braze. The average shear strength of the infrared-brazed joint is 172.8 MPa. Additionally, the existence of an interfacial Ti₃Al reaction layer significantly deteriorates the shear strength of the furnace-brazed specimen.     

Direct Laser Fabrication of Ti-25V-15Cr-2Al-0.2C (wt?pct) Burn-Resistant Titanium Alloy

Direct laser fabrication has been used to deposit multilayers of burn-resistant titanium alloy onto the surface of Ti697 (Ti-11Sn-5Zr-2.25Al-0.25Si) alloy by feeding Ti-25V-15Cr-2Al-0.2C (wt pct) powder into the laser molten pool. The microstructure and mechanical properties of the deposited layers have been studied to identify the importance of laser conditions on properties/microstructure. The observations are discussed in terms of the optimum laser conditions and thus the potential of using BuRTi (Ti-25V-15Cr-2Al-0.2C) to tip blades of high-temperature titanium alloys to provide burn resistance.     

An investigation of the fracture and fatigue crack growth behavior of forged damage-tolerant niobium aluminide intermetallics

The results of a recent study of the effects of ternary alloying with Ti on the fatigue and fracture behavior of a new class of forged damage-tolerant niobium aluminide (Nb₃Al-xTi) intermetallics are presented in this article. The alloys studied have the following nominal compositions: Nb-15Al-10Ti (10Ti alloy), Nb-15Al-25Ti (25Ti alloy), and Nb-15Al-40Ti (40Ti alloy). All compositions are quoted in atomic percentages unless stated otherwise. The 10Ti and 25Ti alloys exhibit fracture toughness levels between 10 and 20 MPa√m at room temperature. Fracture in these alloys occurs by brittle cleavage fracture modes. In contrast, a ductile dimpled fracture mode is observed at room-temperature for the alloy containing 40 at. pct Ti. The 40Ti alloy also exhibits exceptional combinations of room-temperature strength (695 to 904 MPa), ductility (4 to 30 pct), fracture toughness (40 to 100 MPa√m), and fatigue crack growth resistance (comparable to Ti-6Al-4V, monolithic Nb, and inconnel 718). The implications of the results are discussed for potential structural applications of the 40Ti alloy in the intermediate-temperature (∼700 °C to 750 °C) regime.     

Fatigue Life of Titanium Alloys Fabricated by Additive Layer Manufacturing Techniques for Dental Implants

Additive layer deposition techniques such as electron beam melting (EBM) and laser beam melting (LBM) have been utilized to fabricate rectangular plates of Ti-6Al-4V with extra low interstitial (ELI) contents. The layer-by-layer deposition techniques resulted in plates that have different surface finishes which can impact significantly on the fatigue life by providing potential sites for fatigue cracks to initiate. The fatigue life of Ti-6Al-4V ELI alloys fabricated by EBM and LBM deposition techniques was investigated by three-point testing of rectangular beams of as-fabricated and electro-discharge machined surfaces under stress-controlled conditions at 10 Hz until complete fracture. Fatigue life tests were also performed on rolled plates of Ti-6Al-4V ELI, regular Ti-6Al-4V, and CP Ti as controls. Fatigue surfaces were characterized by scanning electron microscopy to identify the crack initiation site in the various types of specimen surfaces. The fatigue life data were analyzed statistically using both analysis of variance techniques and the Kaplan-Meier survival analysis method with the Gehan-Breslow test. The results indicate that the LBM Ti-6Al-4V ELI material exhibits a longer fatigue life than the EBM counterpart and CP Ti, but a shorter fatigue life compared to rolled Ti-6Al-4V ELI. The difference in the fatigue life behavior may be largely attributed to the presence of rough surface features that act as fatigue crack initiation sites in the EBM material.     

ECAP of commercially pure titanium: A review

Equal Channel Angular Extrusion (ECAE) also called as Equal Channel Angular Pressing (ECAP) is an emerging mechanical or thermo mechanical method for synthesis of bulk ultra fine grained or nano materials. The uniqueness of ECAP is that the fine grains are obtained without changing any of the dimensions of the sample. The grain refinement increases the strength of CP-Ti to the strength levels of Ti-6Al-4V, a commonly used material for bio implants. Though Ti-6Al-4V alloys satisfy the biomedical requirements, the Al and V are toxic to human tissue. ECAP is an attracting technique for strengthening commercially pure titanium (CP-Ti) to a level of Ti-6Al-4V since CP-Ti has better compatibility for bio medical applications. Hence, the research is focused on ECAP of CPTi. This overview mainly focuses on the mechanical properties, corrosion resistance, wear resistance, fatigue resistance and the influence of external and internal parameters on the properties of ECAPed CP-Ti. It also highlights the methods employed for increasing the deformability of CP-Ti. Finally, the suitability of ECAP for industrial production is also discussed. The state of the art in this field is encouraging and showing positive signs of commercializing ECAP of CP-Ti in the near future.     

Roll bonding behaviour of Ti-6Al-4V sheets during pack rolling

Low density, excellent corrosion resistance, moderate strengths at high temperatures make titanium based alloys candidate materials for advanced aerospace structures. Advanced joining techniques are emulating for fabrication of complex aerospace structures. Roll bonding is one such solid state joining technique where bonding between two rough and clean surfaces is obtained under high temperature and pressure. The work horse dual phase titanium alloy Ti-6Al-4V finds extensive structural application in aerospace and space industries. In the present study, two Ti-6Al-4V sheets are stacked together and encapsulated in a mild steel can followed by evacuation and hot crimping. The pack is extensively deformed to ∼84% reduction in thickness employing conventional hot rolling mill. Partially roll bonded 0.74mm thick sheets were obtained and microstructural evolution was studied using light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The incompletely bonded interface was analyzed through elemental mappings by Electron Probe Micro Analyzer and compared with completely bonded region. The partially bonded region revealed the presence of aluminium oxide at the interface which possibly could have hindered complete bonding at that region. The room temperature tensile properties of as- roll bonded Ti-6Al-4V nearly approaches the base material properties.     

Fracture characteristics,microstructure, and tissue reaction of Ti-5Al-2.5Fe for orthopedic surgery

The microstructure of Ti-5Al-2.5Fe, which is expected to be used widely as an implant material not only for artificial hip joints but also for instrumentations of scoliosis surgery, was variously changed by heat treatments. The effect of the microstructure on mechanical properties, fracture toughness, and rotating-bending fatigue strength in the air and simulated body environment, that is, Ringer’s solution, was then investigated. Furthermore, the effect of the living body environment on mechanical properties and fracture toughness in Ti-5Al-2.5Fe were investigated on the specimens implanted into rabbit for about 11 months. The data of Ti-5Al-2.5Fe were compared with those of Ti-6Al-4V ELI, which has been used as an implant material mainly for artificial hip joints, and SUS 316L, which has been used as an implant material for many parts, including the instrumentation of scoliosis surgery. The equiaxedα structure, which is formed by annealing at a temperature belowβ transus, gives the best balance of strength and ductility in Ti-5Al-2.5Fe. The coarse Widmanstättenα structure, which is formed by solutionizing overβ transus followed by air cooling and aging, gives the greatest fracture toughness in Ti-5Al-2.5Fe. This trend is similar to that reported in Ti-6Al-4V ELI. The rotating-bending fatigue strength is the greatest in the equiaxedα structure, which is formed by solutionizing belowβ transus followed by air cooling and aging in Ti-5Al-2.5Fe. Ti-5Al-2.5Fe exhibits much greater rotating-bending fatigue strength compared with SUS 316L, and equivalent rotating-bending fatigue strength to that of Ti-6Al-4V ELI in both the air and simulated body environments. The rotating-bending fatigue strength of SUS 316L is degraded in the simulated body environment. The corrosion fatigue, therefore, occurs in SUS 316L in the simulated body environment. Fatigue strength of Ti-5Al-2.5Fe in the simulated body environment is degraded by lowering oxygen content in the simulated body environment because the formability of oxide on the specimen surface is considered to be lowered comparing with that in air. The mechanical property and fracture toughness of Ti-5Al-2.5Fe and Ti-6Al-4V ELI are not changed in the living body environment. The hard-surface corrosion layer is, however, formed on the surface of SUS 316L in the living body environment. The C1 peak is detected from the hard-surface corrosion layer by energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis. These facts suggests a possibility for corrosion fatigue to occur in the living body environment when SUS 316L is used. The fibrous connective tissue and new bone formation are formed beside all metals. There is, however, no big difference between tissue morphology around each implant material.     

Investigation of the electrochemical corrosion properties of high-energy milled Ti6Al4V alloy in simulated body fluid environment

In this study, the electrochemical corrosion properties of high-energy milled Ti6Al4V alloy are investigated. The Ti6Al4V alloy is produced by high-energy milling at different milling times in mechanical milling device as 15–120?min. Produced alloy powders are cold-pressed under 620?MPa pressure and sintered at 1300°C temperature and characterised by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction, hardness and density measurements. Corrosion tests are conducted in simulated body fluid at 37°C body temperature. Results showed that the average particle size of the powder is reduced, and the hardness of the alloy is increased with the increasing milling time. It is determined that the corrosion properties of the alloys change by the high-energy milling time, and the corrosion rate increases by the decreasing particle size of the powder. SEM examination of the corroded surfaces after potentiodynamic polarisation tests revealed that pitting formation tendency of the alloys on the alloy surface increases by the increasing high-energy milling time.     

金属注射成形钛合金

钛和钛合金具有一系列优异性能,但其机加工性差。金属注射成形（MIM）已成为生产钛合金复杂形状零件的合适工艺。本文综述了MIM Ti,TiAl,Ti-6Al-4V,TiMo等合金的生产工艺和性能。     

A Self-Consistent Approach for Modeling the Flow Behavior of the Alpha and Beta Phases in Ti-6Al-4V

The flow behavior of the α and β phases in Ti-6Al-4V was interpreted in the context of a self-consistent modeling formalism. For this purpose, high-temperature compression tests were conducted at various temperatures for a single-phase α alloy (Ti-7Al-1.5V), a variety of near-β alloys, and the two-phase alloy Ti-6Al-4V, each with an equiaxed microstructure. The flow behavior of the α phase in Ti-6Al-4V was deduced from the experimental results of the single-phase α alloy. The flow behavior of the β phase, which was predicted by using the self-consistent approach and the measured flow behaviors of Ti-6Al-4V and Ti-7Al-1.5V, showed good agreement with direct measurements of the various near-β alloys. From these results, it was shown that the strength of the α phase is approximately three times higher than that of the β phase at temperatures between 1088 K and 1223 K (815 °C and 950 °C). It was also concluded that the relative strain rates in the two phases varies significantly with temperature. The usefulness of the approach was confirmed by comparing the predicted and measured flow stresses for other Ti-6Al-4V and near-α alloys.     

Surface hardening of Ti alloys by gas-phase nitridation: Kinetic control of the nitrogen surface activity

A new concept for surface hardening of titanium alloys has been developed and successfully applied to Ti-6Al-4V alloys: gas-phase nitridation under kinetic control of the nitrogen activity. This method avoids the formation of detrimental second-phase nitrides by nitriding under a very low nitrogen activity, combined with rapid diffusion of nitrogen into the specimen. The surface hardness of the Ti-6Al-4V alloy was increased by a factor of 2 to ≈ 12 GPa, with only modest attenuation of ductility. We have realized conditions for generating case depths of ≈ 25 μm in reasonable nitridation times. The nitrogen activity in the gas phase is generated by heating a powder pack of Cr and Cr₂N. A closed two-zone system allows the powder pack and the specimen to be at different temperatures, optimizing both the nitrogen partial pressure and the nitrogen diffusion into the specimen. This low-cost, conformal nitridation process generates a smoothly graded nitrogen concentration profile and can be applied to finished Ti alloy components.     

Ti-5553合金车削加工性能研究

Ti-5553(Ti-5Al-5V-5Mo-3Cr-0.5Fe)合金具有优异的综合力学性能,正逐步替代TC4(Ti-6Al-4V)钛合金成为高强度航空用工件的制备材料。然而,由于Ti-5553合金机械加工效率低,一定程度上制约了其在航空领域的大规模应用。为此,对Ti-5553合金与TC4钛合金的车削加工性能参数进行了探索,发现在相同的切削速度下,Ti-5553合金的主切削力和吃刀抗力均高于TC4钛合金,且最高切削速度仅为50 m/min。此外,两种合金在切削过程中均会与车刀发生扩散反应,而Ti-5553合金对刀具的磨损更为严重。相信本研究将为后期优化Ti-5553合金的车削加工参数、提高其加工效率提供有利的实验数据支持。     

The effect of deformation-induced transformation on the fracture toughness of commercial titanium alloys

The effect of deformation-induced transformation of metastableβ phase on the ductility and toughness of four commercial titanium alloys was investigated. Tensile tests, Charpy impact tests, and both static and dynamic fracture toughness tests were carried out at temperatures between 77 and 473 K on four titanium alloys containing metastableβ phase. Deformation-inducedα″ (orthorhombic martensite) was observed in an (α + β)-type Ti-6Al-2Sn-4Zr-6Mo alloy. The dynamic fracture toughness of this alloy increased considerably at 223 K compared to those at other temperatures. In another (α + β)-type Ti-6A1-4V alloy, the static fracture toughness at 123 K and the dynamic fracture toughness at 223 K were increased considerably by the presence of deformation-induced martensite compared to those at other temperatures. The strength increased as the temperature decreased in this alloy. An abnormal elongation of aβ-type alloy, Ti-15V-3Al-3Sn-3Cr, at 123 K was attributed to the mechanical twinning of theβ phase. However, the effect of deformation-induced transformation on the fracture toughness of Ti-3Al-8V-6Cr-4Mo-4Zr alloy was not observed. Formerly Visiting Associate Professor, Department of Metallurgical Engineering and Materials Science, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA. Formerly with the Department of Production Systems Engineering, Toyohashi University of Technology.     

Microstructural Modification and property improvement of boride/Ti-6Al-4V surface-alloyed materials fabricated by high-energy electron-beam irradiation

The present study is concerned with the fabrication and microstructural analysis of boride/Ti-6Al-4V surface-alloyed materials using the irradiation of a high-energy electron beam. Mixtures of TiB₂ or MoB powders and CaF₂ flux were placed on a Ti-6Al-4V alloy substrate and subsequently irradiated using a high-energy electron beam. Specimens processed with a flux mixing ratio of 40 wt pct showed that the melted region of 1.1 to 1.5 mm in thickness was homogeneously formed without defects and contained a large amount of titanium borides (TiB). The formation of TiB in the melted region greatly improved the Vickers hardness, high-temperature Vickers hardness, and wear resistance to levels 2 or 3 three times higher than the those for the Ti alloy substrate. Also, the addition of MoB powders into the mixtures made possible the fabrication of surface-alloyed materials with various properties by controlling the kind, size, and volume fraction of TiB and the characteristics of the matrix. These findings suggested that surface alloying using high-energy electron-beam irradiation was economical and useful for the development of boride/Ti-6Al-4V surface-alloyed materials with improved properties.     

钛合金及其油井管耐蚀性能研究进展

综述了油井管现状、钛合金组织与力学性能,重点探讨了钛合金作为油井管的耐蚀性能、影响因素与耐蚀机理,并对第一性原理计算在钛合金管材成分设计与界面腐蚀特征中的应用进行了概述。研究发现,钛合金管材具有较强的抗硫化物应力开裂(SSC)性能,在高温高压(HTHP)油气田的工况条件下具有极低的腐蚀速率,对孔蚀、缝隙腐蚀、接触腐蚀以及氢脆等也具有高的抵抗力; Ti-6Al-4V(TC4)合金表面的钝化膜在含H_2S腐蚀环境中更易遭到破坏,其稳定性会因温度变化与其他元素介入而发生变化,抗腐蚀性能也会随之发生改变。     

Ti90及其优化合金的组织与力学性能研究

Ti90合金是我国自主研发的一种新型近α型钛合金,具有高比强度、高韧性、耐蚀和加工性能好等优点。本课题组前期对Ti90合金进行了成分优化,得到一种名义成分为Ti-5. 5Al-4. 0Zr-1. 0Sn-0. 3Mo-1. 0Nb的优化合金。利用X射线衍射仪、金相显微镜、电子探针显微分析仪、电子万能试验机和电化学工作站等检测仪器,对Ti90及其优化合金的组织与力学性能进行对比分析。结果表明,优化合金组织为带有网篮特征的魏氏组织,原始β晶界和α集束清晰可见,有少量残留β相分布于α片层之间。与Ti90合金相比,优化合金的压缩屈服强度与断裂韧性得到了显著的提高,极限应变量有所增加,电化学腐蚀性能较好。     

Ti－6A1－4V合金的腐蚀与磨蚀行为的研究

本文采用多种试验方法，研究了Ｔｉ与Ｔｉ－６Ａ１－４Ｖ的腐蚀与磨蚀行为。试验结果表明，Ｔｉ－６Ａ１－４Ｖ合金具有优良的均匀腐蚀、点蚀、晶间腐蚀与磨蚀性能。     

低成本高性能粉末冶金钛合金

粉末冶金是短流程制备低成本、高性能钛及钛合金的有效方法。低成本氢化脱氢（HDH）钛粉可用于制备粉末冶金钛合金制件,但由于受间隙原子含量高、烧结致密度低和微观组织粗大等因素影响,使粉末冶金钛制品的组织性能优势得不到发挥。实验采用氢化脱氢钛粉—冷等静压—真空烧结的技术路线制备了Ti-6Al-4V烧结坯,间隙原子含量低（O<0.16 wt.%, N<0.05 wt.%, H<0.015 wt.%）,具有均匀细小的近等轴?组织,良好的室温拉伸性能（UTS>930 MPa, YS>870 MPa, El>14%）。实验同时表明了HDH工艺制备低间隙原子含量钛粉的可行性,间隙原子含量的增加主要源于粉末及压坯的操作、转移和储存过程。得益于粉末冶金钛合金的细晶和近终成形特点,它无需通过开坯锻造,并且近成型的烧结坯能够提高材料利用率,减少后续热加工变形量及加工道次。因此,以粉末钛合金烧结坯替代锻坯进行后续的塑性加工能够大幅度降低钛合金构件及型材的成本。