Wear Characterization of Laser Cladded Ti-Nb-Ta Alloy for Biomedical Applications

Additive manufacturing (AM) has started to unfold diverse fields of applications by providing unique solutions to manufacturing. Laser cladding is one of the prominent AM technologies that can be used to fulfill the needs of custom implants. In this study, the wear resistance of the laser cladded titanium alloy, Ti-17Nb-6Ta, has been evaluated under varied loads in Ringer’s solution. Microstructural evaluation of the alloy was performed by SEM and EDX, followed by phase analysis through XRD. The wear testing and analysis have been carried out with a tribometer under varied loads of 10, 15, and 20 N while keeping other parameters constant. Abrasion was observed to be the predominant mechanism majorly responsible for the wearing of the alloy at the interface. The average wear rate and coefficient of friction values were 0.016 mm3/Nm and 0.22, respectively. The observed values indicated that the developed alloy exhibited excellent wear resistance, which is deemed an essential property for developing biomedical materials for human body implants such as artificial hip and knee joints.