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. 2015 Oct 1;10 Suppl 1(Suppl 1):213-22.
doi: 10.2147/IJN.S79997. eCollection 2015.

Wear studies on plasma-sprayed Al2O3 and 8mole% of Yttrium-stabilized ZrO2 composite coating on biomedical Ti-6Al-4V alloy for orthopedic joint application

Perumal Ganapathy  1 , Geetha Manivasagam  2 , Asokamani Rajamanickam  3 , Alagumurthi Natarajan  4
Affiliations

Wear studies on plasma-sprayed Al2O3 and 8mole% of Yttrium-stabilized ZrO2 composite coating on biomedical Ti-6Al-4V alloy for orthopedic joint application

Perumal Ganapathy et al. Int J Nanomedicine. .

Abstract

This paper presents the wear characteristics of the composite ceramic coating made with Al2O3-40wt%8YSZ on the biomedical grade Ti-6Al-4V alloy (grade 5) used for total joint prosthetic components, with the aim of improving their tribological behavior. The coatings were deposited using a plasma spraying technique, and optimization of plasma parameters was performed using response surface methodology to obtain dense coating. The tribological behaviors of the coated and uncoated substrates were evaluated using a ball-on-plate sliding wear tester at 37°C in simulated body-fluid conditions. The microstructure of both the titanium alloy and coated specimen were examined using an optical microscope and scanning electron microscope. The hardness of the plasma-sprayed alumina-zirconia composite coatings was 2.5 times higher than that of the Ti-6Al-4V alloy, while the wear rate of Ti-6Al-4V alloy was 253 times higher than that of the composite-coated Ti-6Al-4V alloy. The superior wear resistance of the alumina-zirconia coated alloy is attributed to its enhanced hardness and intersplat bonding strength. Wear-track examination showed that the predominant wear mechanism of Ti-6Al-4V alloy was abrasive and adhesive wear, whereas, in the case of alumina-zirconia composite coated alloy, the wear was dominated by microchipping and microcracking.

Keywords: Hank’s solution; Ti-6Al-4V alloy; alumina–zirconia; titanium; wear.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Scanning electron microscope morphology of as-blended composite powders. Abbreviation: 8YSZ, 8 mole% of yttrium stabilized zirconia.
Figure 2
Figure 2
X-ray diffraction pattern of as-blended composite powders.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Contour plots show the influence of plasma parameters on porosity. Notes: (A) Spraying distance kept as constant; (B) primary gas flow rate kept as constant; (C) input power kept as constant.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Optimizing graph shows the optimal value of plasma parameters for minimum porosity. Abbreviations: A, primary gas flow rate (L/min); Cur, current; D, desirability; P, input power (Kw); S, spraying distance (mm).
Figure 5
Figure 5
Optical micrographs of coating developed in optimal conditions. Notes: (A) Magnification 100×; (B) magnification 200×.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Scanning electron microscope micrograph of coating developed in optimal conditions.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Energy dispersive X-ray analyses. Notes: (A) Analysis taken on dark layer; (B) analysis taken on bright layer.
Figure 8
Figure 8
Optical micrograph of Ti-6Al-4V alloy.
Figure 9
Figure 9
Wear rate of composite coating and Ti-6Al-4V alloy.
Figure 10
Figure 10
Scanning electron microscope image of wear track of the Ti-6Al-4V alloy. Notes: (A) Magnification 750×; (B) magnification 2,000×.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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