Effect of heat treatment on microstructure and mechanical properties of a Ti-Mo-Zr alloy

Abstract

Recently there is increasing demand for the development of new -type titanium with a low elastic modulus for surgical orthopaedic implant applications. In this paper, we developed a new Ti-Mo-Zr alloy based on the d-electron alloy design theory. The designed Ti-12Mo-5Zr (at%) alloy was then produced using ingot metallurgy and evaluated pertaining to the effect of heat treatment on the microstructure and mechanical properties. The alloy exhibited a relatively low Young’s modulus similar to some typical  orthopaedic titanium alloys. Yield strength, tensile strength and Young’s modulus of the alloy decreased after solid solution treatment. The mechanism by which heat treatment affects the mechanical properties is discussed.