Degradation of Titanium Sintered with Magnesium: Effect of Hydrogen Uptake

Multifunctional materials based on a combination of permanent and degradable metals open new perspectives for medical implants combining osseoconductivity and drug-delivery functions which can significantly decrease the number of implants’ revision. In this work, hybrid magnesium-titanium materials were produced via sintering, and the properties of the permanent titanium component before and after the degradation of the temporary magnesium part were evaluated. The changes of chemical composition and mechanical parameters were determined. Loading of hydrogen into the titanium part at room temperature was observed, which deteriorated the mechanical characteristics but could also simultaneously improve the biocompatibility of the permanent titanium implant. The control of degradation of the magnesium part and the modification of the titanium part are required for the development of partly degradable hybrid implants.

CERAMIC THIN FILMS REALIZED BY MEANS OF PULSED PLASMA DEPOSITION TECHNIQUE: APPLICATIONS FOR ORTHOPEDICS

Joint prosthesis are usually subjected to several failing mechanisms, including wear of the ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) insert. The main goal of this study was to assess the possibility to improve the tribological properties of titanium component by depositing zirconia thin films on its surface by pulsed plasma deposition (PPD) method. Zirconia-coated titanium spheres were tested against UHMWPE disks, both in dry and wet conditions. Zirconia films exhibited a homogenous sub-micrometric grain size distribution and low roughness. Interestingly, zirconia-coated titanium spheres showed lower wear rate of the UHMWPE component, compared to uncoated titanium spheres, supporting the feasibility of the proposed approach.

Increasing the Utility of Sustainability Assessment in Product Design

Design engineers are seeking effective ways to make informed decisions regarding product sustainability. Several attempts have been made to identify sustainability metrics, assess sustainability impacts, or support decisions based on sustainability, but none fully support product designers in a way that provides for robust sustainable manufacturing decisions. Sustainability assessments can provide quantitative performance data for design variants, but in many cases, the most sustainable alternative remains uncertain. Adequate support for sustainable manufacturing activities should address each step in the decision making process with enough detail to accurately capture manufacturing impacts. The methods selected throughout the process should consider the specific needs of sustainability related issues and provide transparent, easily understood, efficient solutions. A process is outlined to assist product designers, and a demonstration of the process is given for the production of a titanium component to discuss its utility.

Sustainable Manufacturing Analysis for Titanium Components

Product designers are seeking effective ways to meet customer requirements, government policies, and internal business drivers for sustainability. Sustainable products encompass attributes including recyclable and renewable materials use, low energy consumption, cost competitiveness, and consideration of safety and health concerns. Beyond product attributes, however, sustainable products are cognizant of a broader life cycle perspective, which necessitates consideration of manufacturing and supply chain issues during design. Current life cycle assessment tools are often deficient in assisting design for manufacturing efforts due to coarseness of available process data or even a lack of representative process models. In addition, such tools consider only the environmental impacts and do not account for broader sustainability measures. Research with a titanium component manufacturer is addressing these deficiencies. A unit process modeling-based method is described to assist in strategic decision making to balance cradle-to-gate economic, environmental, and social attributes. A set of metrics is defined and used as a basis for comparison of design alternatives. The method is demonstrated for analysis of titanium component alternatives resulting from design for manufacturing activities. It is shown that this method can assist engineers in developing more sustainable products.