Measurement of important tribocorrosion properties of titanium implant and assessment with digital image processing

Authors : Emrah Irmak, Enis Körpe

Pages : 777-785

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Publication Date : 2025-10-19

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :Titanium implants are mechanical systems where tribocorrosion is frequently observed at the interface between the implant and the abutment alloy. In this paper, important parameters in terms of tribocorrosion such as abrasion coefficient, abrasion volume loss and corrosion rate were determined experimentally in a laboratory environment by preparing a sufficient number of samples obtained from the field for this material (Titanium-Ti6Al4V), which is actively used in surgeries. Comprehensive analysis of these mechanical systems in body-like environments contributes to a better understanding of the material loss caused by abrasion and corrosion interactions occurring at the interface between the implant and the abutment alloy. The samples were subjected to dry sliding wear with the pin-on-disc system in accordance with the relevant standards for a certain number of cycles, during which abrasion volume loss and friction coefficient were measured simultaneously. The results of these experiments were examined to evaluate the degree to which titanium is resistant to material loss due to abrasion and corrosion in body implants. It was found that the abrasion coefficient decreased by 51% when 10 N load was applied by 22% when 20 N load was applied, and by 2% when 30 N load was applied. The samples screws were exposed to 15% more corrosive abrasion and it was found that they had 6% higher corrosion rate in electrochemical corrosion test. Additionally, the morphological features of the abraided and corroded surfaces of Ti6Al4V alloy were analyzed and interpreted using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and digital image processing techniques.
Keywords : Titanyum, Aşınma, Korozyon, Tribokorozyon, Dijital görüntü işleme, Yapay vücut sıvısı

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