Advanced Functionally Graded Titanium Alloys Prepared by Selective Laser Melting

• Grant number: 23/05822-0
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: April 01, 2024
• End date: March 31, 2027
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Materials and Metallurgical Engineering - Physical Metallurgy
• Agreement: Czech Science Foundation (GACR)
• Principal Investigator: Rubens Caram Junior
• Grantee: Rubens Caram Junior
• Principal researcher abroad: Milos Janecek
• Institution abroad: Charles University in Prague (CU), Czech Republic
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Engenharia Mecânica (FEM). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Associated researchers: Alessandra Cremasco ; Rodrigo José Contieri

Abstract

This research project will be undertaken in close cooperation between the School of Mechanical Engineering at University of Campinas (UNICAMP), the Department of Physics of Materials at the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics of Charles University (CUNI) and the Department of Ultrasonic Methods at the Institute of Thermomechanics of the Czech Academy of Sciences. Human joints (such as hip joint) are complicated structures that operate under critical conditions. Total joint replacement is the ultimate solution when the natural joint cannot operate appropriately and is considered as a major achievement in orthopedic surgery. However, appropriate implant material is also a big challenge for material scientists. Focusing on the stem of the hip joint, implant material must fulfill several requirements, namely: high mechanical strength, proper elastic modulus, high fatigue resistance, and good biological response. Titanium alloys proved to be the ultimate solution in this respect. However, not all the requirements can be fulfilled at once. The main objective of this project is to employ selective laser melting for the manufacturing of functionally graded components via variation of chemical composition. This objective will be accomplished by achieving the following tasks: (a) To manufacture novel homogeneous Ti-Nb-Fe-Sn alloys; (b) To manufacture novel graded Ti-(20-30)Nb-(1-3)Fe-(0-8)Sn (wt.%) alloys with a continuous chemical gradient and (c) Development of a methodology for obtaining components with complex geometry and composition gradients by selective laser melting. (AU)