Al2O3 and Al2O3-TiN wear resistance in a simulated biological environment

摘要

Alumina is widely used as a biomaterial because of its high biocompatibility and its good mechanical properties except toughness. In this study, a composite material Al2O3-TiN is considered as an alternative, the addition of TIN improving the mechanical properties of alumina. The wear behaviour of Al2O3 and Al2O3-TiN in aqueous solutions simulating living environments has been thus compared using a pin on disc wear-testing machine. The results show that the mechanisms of material removal during wear are different. For alumina, a mechanical wear mechanism is observed, reduced by the lubricating action of the wet media, and alumina-TiN is worn by a combination of tribochemical and abrasive effects. (C) 1998 Kluwer Academic Publishers. [References: 22]