Effects of micro- and nano-scale wave-like structures on fatigue strength of a beta-type titanium alloy developed as a biomaterial

Some newly developed β-type titanium alloys for biomedical applications exhibit distinctive heterogeneous structures. The formation mechanisms for these structures have not been completely revealed; however, understanding these mechanisms could lead to improving their properties. In this study, the heterogeneous structures of a Ti-29Nb-13Ta-4.6Zr alloy (TNTZ), which is a candidate for next-generation metallic biomaterials, were analyzed. Furthermore, the effects of such heterogeneous structures on the mechanical strength of this alloy, including fatigue strength, were revealed by comparing its strength to that of homogenous TNTZ. The heterogeneous structures were characterized micro-, submicro- and nano-scale wave-like structures. The formation mechanisms of these wave-like structures are found to be different from each other even though their morphologies are similar. It is revealed that the micro-, submicro- and nano-scale wave-like structures are caused by elemental segregation, crystal distortion related to kink band and phase separation into β and β′, respectively. However, these structures have no significant effect on both tensile properties and fatigue strength comparison with homogeneous structure in this study.