Mechanical properties of porous Ti-15Mo-5Zr-3Al compacts prepared by powder sintering

Porous Ti alloy compacts were fabricated and their microstructure and mechanical properties were investigated in this study. Ti alloy powders were atomized from Ti-15Mo-5Zr-3Al (wt.%) bar using the plasma rotating electrode process (PREP) in an Ar atmosphere. These alloy powders were sintered under 1-30 MPa at 1223 K for 7.2 ks by hot-pressing (HP). These compacts were solution treated at 1223 K for 1.2 ks, and then quenched into iced water (STQ). X-ray diffraction analysis revealed that a small amount of α phase appeared in the β phase of the HP compacts, while not in the STQ compacts. Young's modulus of STQ compacts is lower than that of HP compacts. It was found that the strength of porous Ti-15Mo-5Zr-3Al is higher than those of porous pure Ti and human cortical bone, as compared in the range from 10 to 30 GPa of Young's modulus for human bone.