Mechanical properties enhancement in Ti–29Nb–13Ta–4.6Zr alloy via heat treatment with no detrimental effect on its biocompatibility

• Diverse heat treatment schemes have been applied on a new Ti-biomedical alloy.
• Mechanical properties and microstructures are investigated.
• Superior mechanical properties without detriment to biocompatibility are attained.
• We propose liquid nitrogen quenching as the optimum procedure.

The present investigation deals with the microstructural evolution and mechanical properties optimization of a new titanium based TNTZ (Ti–29Nb–13Ta–4.6Zr) alloy through applying a proper heat treatment strategy. The TNTZ alloy was subjected to solution treatment and cooling procedure via different medias including liquid nitrogen, water, oil, static air and vacuum furnace. The slow cooling in vacuum furnace and static air resulted in precipitation of ω phase. The formation of this phase secures an increase in the strength and hardness value, however stands detrimental to the ductility. The α″ martensite is formed due to accelerated cooling in liquid nitrogen, water and oil. This phase remains neutral to the ductility of the alloy, while its excessive formation increases the hardness and shear strength. This study proposes the liquid nitrogen quenching as a process that optimizes the mechanical properties by rendering the highest strength while preserving the ductility.