Analyzing the Deformation and Fracture of Bioinert Titanium, Zirconium and Niobium Alloys in Different Structural States by the Use of Infrared Thermography

Bioinert metals are used for medical implants and in some industrial applications. This study was performed to detect and analyze peculiarities that appear in the temperature distributions during quasi-static tensile testing of bioinert alloys. These alloys include VT1-0 titanium, Zr-1%Nb and Ti-45%Nb in both coarse-grain (CG) and ultrafine-grain (UFG) states. The crystal structure, as well as the crystal domain and grain sizes of these alloys in the UFG state, may be different from the CG versions and identifying the thermal signatures that occur during their deformation and fracture is of interest, as it may lead to an understanding of physical processes that occur during loading. By comparing the surface temperature distributions of specimens undergoing deformation under tensile loading to the distributions at maximum temperatures it was found that the observed differences depend on the alloy type, the alloy structural state and the thermal properties of structural defects in the specimen. Macro-defects were found in some specimens of VT1-0 titanium, Zr-1Nb and Ti-45Nb alloys in both the CG and UFG states. The average tensile strength of specimens containing defects was lower than that of specimens with no defects. Infrared thermography documents change in the thermal patterns of specimens as they are deformed under tensile loading and when the load stops changing or the specimen breaks.