Ti–6Al–4V powder preforms containing parallel layers of steel wiremeshes are sintered into composites. Elongatedmacropores are created by electrochemical dissolution of the steel wires, and equiaxedmicroccepted 17 August 2009

The effects of surface modification treatments such as shot peening, ion implantation (carbon and nitrogen), surface lubrication (soft coating), laser gas nitriding and various combinations thereof, on the fretting fatigue resistance of Ti-6Al-4V have been investigated. The best of these surface treatments appears to be shot peening. While ion implantation improves the base metal fretting fatig...

The hardened alpha-case (alpha-case) layer inevitably forms on the surface of titanium castings when prepared by investment casting. Because the hardness of the alpha-case is incomparable to that of the interior structure, the perception exists that the alpha-case is difficult to remove during cutting, grinding and polishing. Grindability (ease of grinding) of cast cpTi and cast Ti-6Al-4V was e...

As an important metal three-dimensional printing technology, electron beam melting (EBM) is gaining increasing attention due to its huge potential applications in aerospace and biomedical fields. EBM processing of Ti-6Al-4V as well as its microstructure and mechanical properties were extensively investigated. However, it is still lack of quantitative studies regarding its microstructural evolut...

The present work was conducted as part of a larger America Makes funded project to begin to examine the effects of changes in process variables on the resulting microstructure and fracture and fatigue behavior of as-deposited Ti-6Al-4V. In addition to presenting initial results on process mapping of the electron beam powder bed process, the present work also documents the location-dependent pro...

The microstructure and mechanical behavior of simple product geometries produced by layered manufacturing using the electron beam melting (EBM) process and the selective laser melting (SLM) process are compared with those characteristic of conventional wrought and cast products of Ti-6Al-4V. Microstructures are characterized utilizing optical metallography (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SE...

The diamond-like carbon (DLC) films deposited on the articulating surface of medical-grade Ti and Ti–6Al–4V were characterized. The DLC films were synthesized by r.f. plasma assisted chemical vapor deposition (PACVD) using C6H6 at 10 mTorr. For wear tests, the ball-ondisk type wear tester was employed by wearing a 5-mm diameter ruby ball against a rotating metal disk. The DLC coating dramatical...

Ti-6Al-4V alloy is the most commonly used alloy for dental and orthopedic implants. In order to improve osseointegration, different surface modification methods are usually employed, including self-assembled monolayers (SAMs). This study presents an investigation of both active (electroassisted) and passive (adsorption) approaches for the modification of Ti-6Al-4V using alkylphosphonic acid. Th...

The spine rod in the spinal fixation system should be tough enough to support the dynamic force and flexible also for flexible movement. 5.5 mm ~ 6 mm diameter spine rods made of Ti-6Al-4V ELI are common products. Two possibilities are studied. The one is that while keeping the flexibility unchanged (using 6mm diameter), how much the fatigue strength can be increased. The other is while the fle...

This paper presents some examples of knee and hip implant components containing porous structures and fabricated in monolithic forms utilizing electron beam melting (EBM). In addition, utilizing stiffness or relative stiffness versus relative density design plots for open-cellular structures (mesh and foam components) of Ti-6Al-4V and Co-29Cr-6Mo alloy fabricated by EBM, it is demonstrated that...