IMPROVED WEAR RESISTANCE TITANIUM ALLOYS FOR LONG-LIFE ORTHOPAEDIC PROSTHESES

TITANIUM ALLOYS OFFER SUPERIOR CORROSION RESISTANCE, MECHANICAL STRENGTH, LOWER ELASTIC MODULUS AND SPECIFIC WEIGHT, AND BIOCOMPATIBILITY. THE LOWER WEAR/ABRASION TOLERANCE OF THE ALLOY, HOWEVER, HAS HAMPERED ITS FULL SCALEAPPLICATION IN ORTHOPAEDIC SURGERY. FOR LONG TERM RELIABILITY OF THE TITANIUM IMPLANT, THE WEAR CHARACTERISTICOF THE ALLOY MUST E MODIFIED. ADVANCES IN THE TECHNOLOGY AND METALLURGY OF ION IMPLANTATION HAVE OPENED DOORS TO POTENTIAL APPLICATION IN SURFACE MODIFICATION OF MATERIALS. CURRENT LITERATURE DEMONSTRATES THAT TRIBOLOGICAL BEHAVIOR OF MATERIALS CAN BE IMPROVED, IN CERTAIN CASES DRAMATICALLY BY USING THIS ION IMPLANTATION TECHNIQUE. IN THIS PROPOSAL WE WILL DETERMINE THE FEASIBILITY OF THIS TECHNIQUE IN IMPROVING THE WEAR RESISTANCE OF TITANIUM ALLOY. IT IS ANTICIPATED THAT A SUCCESSFUL PROGRAM WILL ALLOW THE USE OF THE ALLOY IN HIGHER WEAR JOINTS (SUCH AS KNEE JOINTS) PROVIDE A BETTER PROSTHESIS/BONE INTERFACE, AND LEAD TO LOWER CORROSION RATES AND LESS METAL ION DISSOLUTION THAN COBALT ALLOY. IT CAN THEREFORE BE EXPECTED THAT IMPROVED WEAR RESISTANCE COUPLED WITH EXCELLENT MATERIAL PROPERTIES OF THE TITANIUM, WILL LENGTHEN THE LIFETIME, IMPROVE RELIABILITY OF THE IMPLANT DEVICES, AND MAKE THE BENEFITS OF ORTHOPAEDIC PROSTHESES AVAILABLE TO YOUNGER PATIENTS WHO SUFFER DAMAGED OR DISEASED JOINTS.