Mechanical characteristics and microstructure of drawn wire of Ti-29Nb-13Ta-4.6Zr for biomedical applications

The mechanical properties and deformation behaviors of drawn wires of Ti-29Nb-13Ta-4.6Zr with diameters of 1.0 mm and 0.3 min (referred to as TNTZ(d1.0) wire and TNTZ(d0.3) wire, respectively) were investigated to determine the potential of this wire in biomedical and dental applications. The microstructure of forged Ti-29Nb-13Ta-4.6Zr subjected to a solution treatment at 1063 K (TNTZ(ST)) comprises a single P phase with an average diameter of 25 mu m, while that of the TNTZ(d1.0) wire comprises a super-fine single 0 phase that is elongated parallel to the drawing direction. The tensile strengths of the TNTZ(d1.0) and TNTZ(d0.3) wires are around 740 MPa and 800 MPa, respectively. While both the elongations are nearly equal (around 5.0%), the elastic modulus of the TNTZ(d1.0) wire (around 50 GPa) is slightly lower than that of the TNTZ(d0.3) wire (around 55 GPa). The notch-fatigue limit of the TNTZ(d1.0) wire is 250 MPa. The stress-strain curves of the TNTZ(d1.0) and TNTZ(d0.3) wires in the elastic deformation region have two gradients, and the maximum elastic strains are nearly equal to each other and very large (around 3.0%). In the general stress-strain curve for TNTZ(ST), the maximum elastic strain is around 1.4%. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.