The effect of Zr on the microstructure and properties of Ti-35Nb-XZr alloy

The demand for biomaterials with high strength, low modulus, excellent biocompatibility and good corrosion resistance has led to the development of new alloys. Zirconium is known as a biocompatible element that can be used for alloying in titanium alloys. The effect of Zr on the mechanical and structural properties of a titanium alloy is studied in this paper. Binary Ti-35Nb alloy has been alloyed with various amounts of Zr (2, 4, 6 or 8 wt%). The specimens were thermo-mechanically processed (hot forged, solution treated 850 °C/0.5 h/water quenched, cold swaged and finally aged (at 400 °C or 450 °C for various periods). Cold-swaged alloys possess tensile strength of about 800 MPa, along with a low Young's modulus (~50 GPa). The elongation of all the alloys is more than 12%. The hardness increased during 400 °C annealing up to 370 HV10. The addition of Zr stabilized the β-phase and supports recrystallization and recovery processes. Corrosion resistance was also increased by the addition of Zr.