Wear Behavior of Ti6Al4V Surfaces Functionalized through Ultrasonic Vibration Turning

Even if titanium alloys are widely used for biomedical applications, the tendency they show to wear is a matter of concern for their durability. In this research work, Ultrasonic Vibration Turning (UVT) was used to generate texturized surfaces on Ti6Al4V cylinders for improving their wear performances. To prove that, in vitro wear tests were performed, during which the UVT-ed Ti6Al4V cylinders were made to slide against polyethylene disks to replicate a currently used biomedical pair. It was shown that the UVT-ed Ti6Al4V cylinders were characterized by enhanced performances in terms of coefficient of friction and wear rate, which were reduced to 52 and 25%, respectively, compared to polished Ti6Al4V surfaces.