Effect of the Si Content on the Dry and Wet Sliding Wear Behavior of the Developed Ti-15Mo-(0-2) Si Alloys for Biomedical Applications

The durability of a metallic biomaterial to withstand weight loss is a key factor in determining its service life and performance. Therefore, it is essential to create biomaterials with high wear resistance to ensure the biomaterial has a long service life. Thus, this study aims to explore the dry and wet sliding wear characteristics of the developed Ti-15Mo-xSi as-cast alloys (where x equals 0, 0.5, 1, 1.5, and 2 wt.%) in order to assess the impact of the Si addition on the microstructure, mechanical properties, and wear resistance and to consider them for biomedical applications. The wear experiments were conducted using a pin-on-desk wear testing machine at a load of 20 N and a sliding distance of 1000 m with and without applying simulated body fluid (SBF). Different techniques were utilized in the evaluation of the developed Ti-15Mo-xSi alloys. The results showed that significant grain refining was attained with the Si addition. The hardness, compressive strength, and wear resistance of the Ti-15Mo-xSi as-cast alloys increased with the increase in Si content. The Ti-15Mo-2Si as-cast alloy exhibited the highest dry and wet wear resistance of all the Ti-15Mo-xSi alloys. The worn surfaces were investigated, the roughness and main features were reported, and the wear mechanisms were also discussed.