Biomedical devices surface functionalization through superfinishing processes to improve tribocorrosion

Permanent prosthesis surface conditions play a key role on the implants overall mechanical performance. Furthermore, the increased number of arthroplasty surgery represents a reason for the necessity of higher quality standards for the biomedical devices. Employing and optimizing severe plastic deformation processes represents a way to obtain implants with higher performance, therefore this work aims, through the application of burnishing process, to combine innovative machining finishing operations coupled with environmentally friendly cooling lubricant techniques to improve the surface integrity and the tribocorrosion resistance of biomedical devices in order to increase their quality, durability and reliability. Another phenomenon taken into account is the tribological behavior that could generates an irreversible transformation of the materials and the release of particles and metal ions in toxic concentrations in the biological environment in which the devices are implanted. One of the most used materials for permanent prosthetic implants is the Ti6Al4V alloy but its tribological behavior is still challenging for the application. In this work Ti6Al4V bars have undergone machining with semi-finishing parameters and burnishing processes, then the effects of sole machining and its combination with burnishing on surface quality and specific wear rate (SWR) have been assessed with respect to as received surface conditions.