Tribological Characterization of Ti-Based Alloys for Biomedical Applications in Simulated Body Fluid

Tribology is a terminology introduced in the 1960’s and it is a study that relates to the investigation of the damage of materials. Titanium, as a material used for a wide range of application, it has been brought to the attention of researchers some characteristics such as its much lower density if compared to steel, its capability as an alloying agent with an amount of metals to enhance physical and mechanical properties, to name just a few characteristics. This paper will discuss the performance on tribology behavior in two different Titanium alloys. These Titanium alloys are Ti-6Al-4V (Ti64), and Ti-24Nb-4Zr-8Sn (Ti2448). The reason of why these two alloys are being tested is because Ti64 has been used for biomedical applications, and Ti2448 is a candidate to be added into biomedical applications with some similar properties as Ti64. The reason of why these two alloys is because Ti64 has been used for biomedical applications, and Ti2448 is candidate to replace it in said area. Tribology testing is performed by a tribometer and will show different features such as coefficient of friction, tangential force, and it will also allow us to measure the weight loss in every test. The parameters of tests will be divided in two different sections, each section with four different tests. In the first section, the parameters will be fixed all but an increasing load per test (1N, 2N, 4N, and 8N). In the second section, the load is fixed, but the parameter that will be changing is an increase in revolutions per minute per test (50rpm, 100 rpm, 150rpm, and 200rpm). The change in said parameters show the gradual increase of coefficient of friction, such as decrease in inclusions as the load and speed increases