Evaluation of the corrosion resistance of welded Ni-Ti wires for orthodontic use

Abstract

Abstract In recent decades, researches and analysis for applying the Ni-Ti alloys have become increasingly more specific, tending to studies on micro and nano actuators targeting applications in medical and orthodontic devices and in electromechanical microsystems. Thus, the welding processes have become important allies by promoting the union between shape memory alloy actuators (SMA) with similar and dissimilar ones, which is one way of increasing the useful applications of available materials, especially biomaterials. In this context, this study aimed atanalyzing the corrosion resistance in the weld region obtained by autogenous TIG micro welding in Ni-Ti superelastic wires with thermo-active Ni-Ti wires in a solution that simulates human saliva. The welded wires heat treatment made based on a factorial design 32. The results revealed that the TIG welding process used in this work generated welds of excellent quality, showing a good resistance to corrosion in the electrolyte that simulates human saliva. The experimental design used to investigate the influence of temperature and time of heat treatment in corrosion results generated a great experiment with temperature of 350 °C and time in the range of 20 minutes. This result was confirmed by means of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy tests.