Abstract
The corrosion and wear behaviour of wrought titanium alloys (Ti-Grade2, Ti6Al4V and Ti6Al4V-ELI) immersed in phosphate buffered solution (PBS) and phosphat ebuffered solution with bovine serum albumin (PBSþBSA) has been analysed by electrochemical techniques and surface microscopy. The influence of the alloy composition and microstructure on the tribo-electrochemical behaviour was analysed by potentiodynamic studies and potentiostatic tests (applied electrochemical potentials) under sliding conditions. Plastic deformation and third bodies were observed at the end of the tests by optical, confocal and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Although the degradation mechanism was the same in all the studied alloys, wear debris was found to be material and solution chemistry dependent. aþb phase Ti6Al4V alloy shows lower wear damage than the a phase Ti-Grade2 alloy. Main effect of chemical composition and microstructure of the alloy was found in the wear accelerated corrosion, which is twice in the case of the Ti-Grade2. Effect of the
repassivation time and passive film growth on the wear behaviour of the Ti6Al4V-ELI was also analysed by carrying out intermittent tests. Wear coefficient increases when rest time between sliding cycles increases due to the growth of the passivefilms during the pause periods. BSA adsorbs on the metallic surface thus
reducing the repassivation kinetics and there forehindering the effect of pause periods during sliding.
