Characterising the effect of laser metal deposited Ti6Al4V/Cu composites in simulated body fluid for biomedical application
- Authors: Erinosho, M. F. , Akinlabi, Esther Titilayo , Pityana, S.
- Date: 2015-01-15
- Subjects: Hank’s solution , Laser metal deposition , Surface morphologies , Titanium alloys
- Type: Article
- Identifier: uj:5120 , ISBN 9789384935108 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/14078
- Description: Ti6Al4V alloy has been known to have very excellent corrosion resistance due to the oxide layer formed on its surface. Due to this property, the alloy is found applicable for biomedical implants. Copper shows an excellent antimicrobial property and has been found to stabilize the immune system. In this study, laser metal deposition of Ti6Al4V powder and Cu powder on Ti6Al4V substrates were conducted by varying the laser power between 600 W and 1800 W while the scanning speed, the powder flow rate and the gas flow rate were kept constant. The surface behaviour and the morphologies of the composites were evaluated under the microscope and the SEM after soaking for 4 hours, 5 days and 2 weeks respectively. The simulated body fluid (hank’s solution) was maintained at normal body temperature of about 37±1oC. The surfaces showed fracture topography with porous bone-like structures and some trivial pitting were observed.
- Full Text:
Process parameter optimization for laser metal deposited Ti6Al4V/TiC composites
- Authors: Mahamood, Rasheedat M. , Akinlabi, Esther Titilayo
- Date: 2015-01-15
- Subjects: Laser material deposition , Microhardness , Process parameters , Titanium composites , Aluminum composites
- Type: Article
- Identifier: uj:5134 , ISBN 9789384935108 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/14100
- Description: Laser material deposition process is an additive manufacturing technology that is used to produce functional parts directly from the three dimensional (3D) model of the part. It offers a lot of advantages in the surface modification of components, in the repair of existing worn parts, as well as for building parts that is made up of composites and functionally graded materials. This is possible because the laser metal deposition process can handle more than one material simultaneously. Processing parameters are of great importance in achieving the desired properties. Ti6Al4V is the most widely used titanium alloy in the aerospace industry. This is because of its excellent properties. However, the wear resistance behavior of these materials is not impressive because of the surface damage that occurs when they are used in applications that involves contact loadings. In this study, the effect of laser power and scanning velocity on the microstructure, the microhardness and the wear resistance properties of Ti6Al4V/TiC composites has been thoroughly investigated in order to optimize these process parameters. The Ti6Al4V/TiC composites were laser deposited with a composition ratio of 50 W% Ti64 and 50 W% TiC and at 50% overlap percentage. The laser power was varied from 1 to 3.8 kW and the scanning speed was varied between 0.03 and 0.1 m/s. The results shows that the optimum process parameters is at a laser power of about 2.0 kW and the scanning speed of about 0.055 m/s.
- Full Text: false