M. Buciumeanu

Tribocorrosion behavior of veneering biomedical PEEK to Ti6Al4V structures.

In dentistry, prosthetic structures must be able to support masticatory loads combined with a high biocompatibility and wear resistance in the presence of a corrosive environment. In order to improve the simultaneous wear and corrosion response of highly biocompatible prosthetic structures, a veneering poly-ether-ether-ketone (PEEK) to Ti6Al4V substrate was assessed by tribocorrosion analyses under conditions mimicking the oral environment. Samples were synthesized by hot pressing the PEEK veneer onto Ti6Al4V cylinders. The tribocorrosion tests on Ti6Al4V or PEEK/Ti6Al4V samples were performed on a reciprocating ball-on-plate tribometer at 30N normal load, 1Hz and stroke length of 3mm. The tests were carried out in artificial saliva at 37°C. Open circuit potential (OCP) was measured before, during and after reciprocating sliding tests. The worn surfaces were characterized by scanning electron microscopy. The results revealed a lower wear rate on PEEK combined with a lower coefficient of friction (COF), when compared to Ti6Al4V. In fact, PEEK protected Ti6Al4V substrate against the corrosive environment and wear avoiding the release of metallic ions to the surrounding environment.

Comparison between PEEK and Ti6Al4V concerning micro-scale abrasion wear on dental applications.

In the oral cavity, abrasive wear is predictable at exposed tooth or restorative surfaces, during mastication and tooth brushing. Also, wear can occur at contacting surfaces between the Ti-based prosthetic structures and implants in presence of abrasive compounds from food or toothpaste. Thus, the aim of this work was to compare the abrasive wear resistance of PEEK and Ti6Al4V on three-body abrasion related to different hydrated silica content and loads. Surfaces of Ti6Al4V or PEEK cylinders (8mm diameter and 4mm height) were wet ground on SiC papers and then polished with 1µm diamond paste. After that, surfaces were ultrasonically cleaned in propyl alcohol for 15min and then in distilled water for 10min. Micro-scale abrasion tests were performed at 60rpm and on different normal loads (0.4, 0.8 or 1.2N) after 600 ball revolutions using suspensions with different weight contents of hydrated silica. After abrasive tests, wear scars on flat samples were measured to quantify the wear volume and characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM) to identify the dominant wear mechanisms. Results showed a higher volume loss rate on PEEK than that recorded on Ti6Al4V,, when subjected to three-body abrasion tests involving hydrated silica suspensions. An increase in volume loss was noted on both tested materials when the abrasive content or load was increased. PEEK was characterized by less wear resistance than that on Ti6Al4V after micro-scale abrasion wear in contact with hydrated silica particles, as commonly found in toothpastes.

Improvement on Sliding Wear Behavior of Al/Cast Iron Tribopair by CNT's Reinforcement of an Al Alloy

The results presented in this work show the wear characterization of Al-Si matrix composites reinforced by multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) under dry reciprocating sliding conditions against a grey cast iron (GCI) The wear resistance is investigated as a function of the carbon nanotube (CNT) content that varied from 2 to 6 wt%. The results demonstrated that the CNT content plays a relevant role in the wear behavior by substantially reducing the wear loss of Al-Si CNT composites. Further, it reduces the wear loss of the grey cast iron counterface. A physical model able to explain the improved behavior in both mating materials is depicted from experimental results.

Wear behavior of Ti6Al4V biomedical alloys processed by selective laser melting, hot pressing and conventional casting

Abstract The aim of this work was to study the influence of the processing route on the microstructural constituents, hardness and tribological (wear and friction) behavior of Ti6Al4V biomedical alloy. In this sense, three different processing routes were studied: conventional casting, hot pressing and selective laser melting. A comprehensive metallurgical, mechanical and tribological characterization was performed by X-ray diffraction analysis, Vickers hardness tests and reciprocating ball-on-plate wear tests of Ti6Al4V/Al 2 O 3 sliding pairs. The results showed a great influence of the processing route on the microstructural constituents and consequent differences on hardness and wear performance. The highest hardness and wear resistance were obtained for Ti6Al4V alloy produced by selective laser melting, due to a markedly different cooling rate that leads to significantly different microstructure when compared to hot pressing and casting. This study assesses and confirms that selective laser melting is potential to produce customized Ti6Al4V implants with improved wear performance.

Laser surface structuring of Ti6Al4V substrates for adhesion enhancement in Ti6Al4V-PEEK joints

PEEK is a promising polymer possessing high mechanical strength and biocompatibility and therefore it can be associated to titanium for biomedical applications. This study aimed at producing Ti6Al4V-PEEK joints with enhanced adhesion through laser-structuring Ti6Al4V treatments. Ti6Al4V cylindrical substrates were prepared by two types of surface treatments: alumina blasting and laser structuring. The holes number and size in laser-structured surfaces was varied. PEEK was then hot pressed against the metallic substrate to completely filling the surface cavities. The adhesion of the PEEK/Ti6Al4V joint was assessed by a shear bond strength test. Fracture surfaces and interfaces were investigated by SEM/EDS. Significant differences were found in the shear bond strength between alumina blasted and laser-structured samples. Bond strength improvement (exceeding 300%) was registered for the laser-structured specimens relative to grit-blasted ones. The laser-structuring technique showed to be very promising in the production of specifically designed surfaces for high strength and mechanically stable Ti6Al4V/PEEK joints.

Mechanisms governing the tensile, fatigue, and wear behavior of carbon nanotube reinforced aluminum alloy

ABSTRACT This work is concerned with understanding the influence of reinforcement mechanisms of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) on mechanical, wear, and fatigue tests on an Aluminium-Silicon (AlSi) alloy. The reinforcement mechanism is presented through the observation of fracture morphology of the different tests. Results of mechanical properties, fatigue life performance, and wear loss is presented and discussed. It is shown that the CNTs reinforcement effect is active simultaneously in all previous properties and the reinforcement physical mechanism seems to be essentially due to a reinforcement effect of the interface that seems to be similar in all mentioned mechanical solicitations.

Evaluation of CNT Dispersion Methodology Effect on Mechanical Properties of an AlSi Composite

The aim of this paper was to evaluate the effect of different dispersion methodologies on mechanical properties of the aluminum-silicon (AlSi) composites reinforced by multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) coated with Ni. Different mixing procedures of MWCNTs with AlSi powder were tested, and AlSi-CNT composites were produced by hot pressing—powder metallurgy technique. The shear tests were performed to get the mechanical properties. Scanning electron microscopy with x-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy analysis and thermal analysis was used to investigate the microstructure of AlSi-CNT composites, interface reactions, and fracture morphology after shear tests. The experimental results proved that an improvement of dispersion of CNTs was achieved by using a combination of different mixing processes.

Pressure and sintering temperature influence on the interface reaction of SiCp/410L stainless steel composites

This study is concerned with the reactivity between SiC particles and 410L stainless steel alloy. An interval of sintering temperatures (900, 1000, 1100, and 1180℃) was scoped in order to study the temperature influence on the interface reaction under different compaction pressures (400, 800, and 1200 MPa). SiCp/410L SS composites were produced by powder metallurgy. Interface area fraction (%) results and microstructural characterization showed that the interface reaction is strongly dependent on temperature. At 900℃ no reaction SiCp/410L SS was found. At 1000℃ SiCp reacts with 410L SS matrix and with increasing temperature the extent of reaction becomes higher. However, at 1180℃ SiCp dissolves completely leading to specimen deformation. The higher interface area fraction was obtained at a sintering temperature of 1100℃ and a compaction pressure of 1200 MPa. This study presents an advantageous and original combination of materials and process that allows combining compaction pressure and sintering temperature in order to control the interface.

Ti6Al4V laser surface preparation and functionalization using hydroxyapatite for biomedical applications

This work presents a novel texture design for implants surface functionalization, through the creation of line-shaped textures on Ti6Al4V surfaces and subsequent sintering of hydroxyapatite (HAp) powder into the designated locations. HAp-rich locations were designed to avoid HAp detachment during insertion, thus guaranteeing an effective osseointegration. This process starts by creating textured lines using a Nd:YAG laser, filling these lines with HAp powder and sintering HAp using a CO2 laser. The adhesion of HAp is known to be influenced by HAp sintering parameters, especially laser power and scanning speed and also by the textured lines manufacturing. Different laser parameters combinations were used to assess the sintering and adhesion of HAp to the textured lines. HAp adhesion was assessed by performing high energy ultrasonic cavitation tests and sliding tests mimicking an implant insertion, with Ti6Al4V/HAp specimens sliding against animal bone. The HAp content retained after these tests was measured and results showed that an excellent HAp sintering and adhesion was achieved when using a scan speed of 1 mm/s and laser power between 9 and 9.6 W. It is important to emphasize that results indicated that the HAp bioactivity was maintained when using these conditions, validating this functionalization process for the production of hip prosthesis with improved bioactivity.

Metallic reinforcements role on aluminum silicon composites wear behavior

This study is concerned with the influence of four metallic reinforcements on aluminum-silicon (AlSi) composites, with respect to wear behavior. AlSi-Ti; AlSi-Ti6Al4V; AlSi-1.4301 stainless steel and AlSi-Ni particulate reinforced composites were produced by a hot-pressing route. Microstructural characterization showed a uniform distribution of the reinforcing particles in the AlSi matrix. Reciprocating pin-on-plate wear tests were performed for AlSi and AlSi-based composites against gray cast iron plates. In order to compare the effect of different metallic particulates on the AlSi-based composites/gray cast iron tribopair wear performance, besides the pin, the counterface was also analyzed. The particle/matrix interface is analyzed in order to understand its influence on the tribopair behavior and on the controlling wear mechanisms. It was shown that the better compromise between both sliding surfaces performance was attained by AlSi-Ni/gray cast iron tribopair.