Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
  • Publication
    Influence of substrate metal alloy type on the properties of hydroxyapatite coatings deposited using a novel ambient temperature deposition technique
    (Wiley Blackwell (John Wiley & Sons), 2014-03) ; ; ;
    Hydroxyapatite (HA) coatings are applied widely to enhance the level of osteointegration onto orthopedic implants. Atmospheric plasma spray (APS) is typically used for the deposition of these coatings; however, HA crystalline changes regularly occur during this high-thermal process. This article reports on the evaluation of a novel low-temperature (<47°C) HA deposition technique, called CoBlast, for the application of crystalline HA coatings. To-date, reports on the CoBlast technique have been limited to titanium alloy substrates. This study addresses the suitability of the CoBlast technique for the deposition of HA coatings on a number of alternative metal alloys utilized in the fabrication of orthopedic devices. In addition to titanium grade 5, both cobalt chromium and stainless steel 316 were investigated. In this study, HA coatings were deposited using both the CoBlast and the plasma sprayed techniques, and the resultant HA coating and substrate properties were evaluated and compared. The CoBlast-deposited HA coatings were found to present similar surface morphologies, interfacial properties, and composition irrespective of the substrate alloy type. Coating thickness however displayed some variation with the substrate alloy, ranging from 2.0 to 3.0 μm. This perhaps is associated with the electronegativity of the metal alloys. The APS-treated samples exhibited evidence of both coating, and significantly, substrate phase alterations for two metal alloys; titanium grade 5 and cobalt chrome. Conversely, the CoBlast-processed samples exhibited no phase changes in the substrates after depositions. The APS alterations were attributed to the brief, but high-intensity temperatures experienced during processing. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A, 2013.
    Scopus© Citations 12  686
  • Publication
    In-situ XRD Study on the Effects of Stress Relaxation and Phase Transformation Heat Treatments on Mechanical and Microstructural Behaviour of Additively Manufactured Ti-6Al-4V
    Additively Manufactured (AM) titanium (Ti) components are routinely post-thermal heat treated (HT), to reduce internal stresses, as well as to obtain more desirable microstructural features, yielding improved mechanical performance. Currently, there is no consensus on the optimum HT method for AM Ti-6Al-4V, as the mechanism for the main phase transformation (α′ (martensite) → α + β (equilibrium)) is still ambiguous. In this study, stress relaxation and phase transformation in the alloy are investigated in detail, via isothermal heat treatments and in situ high temperature X-ray Diffraction (XRD). The latter was carried out at heating rates of 5 and 200 °C/min. The relationship between crystallographic evolution during isothermal treatments and mechanical behaviour was determined. Isothermal holding at 400 °C resulted in an increase in ultimate tensile strength (UTS) and yield strength (YS) by 3.4% and 2.1%, respectively, due to the relief of tensile microstrain. It was found that isothermal treatment conducted between 550 and 700 °C promotes martensitic decomposition, resulting in the formation of a transitional - αtr phase, which has an asymmetrical hexagonal crystal lattice. The formation of this αtr phase was determined to be the main factor contributing to a major decrease in ductility.
      91Scopus© Citations 19
  • Publication
    Evaluation and comparison of hydroxyapatite coatings deposited using both thermal and non-thermal techniques
    This paper compares the properties of hydroxyapatite (HA) coatings, obtained using two different deposition technologies on Ti–6Al–4V substrates. The deposition techniques evaluated were: atmospheric plasma spray (APS, thermal treatment) and a novel micro-blasting technique known as CoBlast (non-thermal treatment). The HA coatings were examined with respect to their morphology, crystallinity and adhesion, while the phase concentration of the metallic substrates was also analysed. In vitro cell proliferation and cell morphology studies using MG-63 osteoblastic cells were carried out on the HA coated substrates obtained using the two deposition techniques, with untreated titanium grade 5 (Ti–6Al–4V) substrates utilised as a control. XRD analysis of the CoBlast deposited HA coatings demonstrated that it was comprised of the same crystalline HA as the precursor powder. For the APS HA coatings however, additional calcium phosphate phases were observed, and these were attributed to phase changes caused by the high plasma deposition temperatures. The APS treated samples also exhibited evidence of substrate modification, with substrate conversion to a β-rich surface at the HA/substrate interface observed in the XRD analysis. CoBlast HA coatings, with an average thickness of approx. 2.5 μm, were found to have higher tensile adhesion values (33.6 and 35.7 MPa), when compared with the 5 MPa obtained for the approx. 26.9 μm thick APS coatings using a modified tensile adhesion test. This lower adhesion tensile value is most likely due to the increased residual stress generated in the HA coating during thermal plasma processing. The cell response studies on the four surfaces tested indicate that the HA surfaces exhibited higher levels of cell proliferation than the untreated titanium after 5 days, with the CoBlast surfaces displaying statically significant increases in cell proliferation.
    Scopus© Citations 19  1121