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Effects of boride coating on wear behaviour of biomedical grade Ti–45Nb alloy

  • Gökhan Kara

    Gökhan Kara, was born in 1975, is Assistant Professor in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering Department, Surmene Faculty of Marine Sciences, Karadeniz Technical University in Trabzon / Türkiye. His main research interests are metallic materials, titanium alloys, surface coatings, tribology, material characterization and mechanical behaviour of metallic biomaterials.

     EMAIL logo     and Gençağa Pürçek

    Gençağa Pürçek, was born in 1969, is Professor in Mechanical Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, Karadeniz Technical University in Trabzon / Türkiye. His main research interests are construction and manufacturing, tribology, plastic forming methods, material characterization and mechanical metallurgy.
Published/Copyright: June 3, 2025
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Materials Testing
From the journal Materials Testing Volume 67 Issue 7

Abstract

This study investigates the tribological properties of as-received and borided Ti–45Nb alloys when paired with a WC-Co ball and examines the wear mechanisms that occur under dry sliding conditions. Pack boriding treatment applied to β type biomedical titanium alloy samples with improved structural and mechanical properties. The wear performance of both unborided and borided alloys, as well as the counterface and wear debris, were analysed using wear track measurements, weight loss techniques, and scanning electron microscopy. Unborided Ti–45Nb alloy underwent severe wear through multiple wear mechanisms, including tribo-chemical reactions, adhesion, and abrasive wear. Formation of a hard, bonded treatment layer on the Ti–45Nb alloy significantly enhanced its wear resistance up to certain load limits. In this case, mild polishing-type wear occurred, characterized by shallow scratches without weight loss. However, when the applied load exceeded the boriding layer’s load-carrying capacity, the surface layer was completely worn out by abrasive wear assisted delamination, and the alloy experienced severe wear resembling that of the unborided sample. Nevertheless, the volumetric wear rate is still 34 % lower than that of the unborided alloy. WC-Co ball was exposed to mild oxidative wear, particle detachment, abrasion, and micro-cracking wear mechanisms when rubbed against the harder boride layer.

Keywords: boriding; Ti–45Nb; titanium; tribological properties; hardness; WC-Co
Corresponding author: Gökhan Kara, Department of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering, Karadeniz Technical University, Trabzon, Türkiye, E-mail:

About the authors

Gökhan Kara

Gökhan Kara, was born in 1975, is Assistant Professor in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering Department, Surmene Faculty of Marine Sciences, Karadeniz Technical University in Trabzon / Türkiye. His main research interests are metallic materials, titanium alloys, surface coatings, tribology, material characterization and mechanical behaviour of metallic biomaterials.

Gençağa Pürçek

Gençağa Pürçek, was born in 1969, is Professor in Mechanical Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, Karadeniz Technical University in Trabzon / Türkiye. His main research interests are construction and manufacturing, tribology, plastic forming methods, material characterization and mechanical metallurgy.

  1. Research ethics: Not applicable.

  2. Informed consent: Not applicable.

  3. Author contributions: The authors have accepted responsibility for the entire content of this manuscript and approved its submission.

  4. Use of Large Language Models, AI and Machine Learning Tools: None declared.

  5. Conflict of interest: The authors state no conflict of interest.

  6. Research funding: None declared.

  7. Data availability: Not applicable.

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Published Online: 2025-06-03
Published in Print: 2025-07-28

© 2025 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Frontmatter
  2. Auxetic behavior of Ti6Al4V lattice structures manufactured by laser powder bed fusion
  3. Hardness, shear strength, and microstructure of friction stir lap welded copper/aluminum using various parameters
  4. Influence of oscillating fiber laser welding process parameters on the fatigue response and mechanical performance of butt-jointed TWIP980 steels
  5. Fatigue analysis of TIG welded joints of dissimilar aluminum alloys
  6. Corrosion of self-piercing riveting joint in a Cl− and HSO3− environment
  7. Effect of annealing for stress relief on the surface integrity of gray cast iron with lamellar graphite after cavitation erosion
  8. Effects of boride coating on wear behaviour of biomedical grade Ti–45Nb alloy
  9. Effect of space holder agent on microstructural and mechanical properties of commercially pure titanium
  10. Impact and biaxial tensile-after impact behaviors of inter-ply hybrid carbon-glass/epoxy composite plates
  11. Improvement of the mechanical and wear properties of Al6061 alloys with quartz and SiC hybrid reinforcements by powder metallurgy
  12. Surface strain-based calculation of principal directional strains in multi-material carbon fiber laminates
  13. Tribological and mechanical behaviour of Al 359 composites reinforced with B4Cp, SiCp and flyash
  14. Effect of Al-based coatings deposited by EASC on exfoliation corrosion susceptibility of EN AW 7020-T6
  15. Green synthesis of CuO nanoparticles using Curcuma longa L. extract: composite dielectric and mechanical properties
  16. Comprehensive optimization of shot peening intensity using a hybrid model with AI-based techniques via Almen tests
https://doi.org/10.1515/mt-2025-0030
Keywords for this article
boriding; Ti–45Nb; titanium; tribological properties; hardness; WC-Co

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Frontmatter
  2. Auxetic behavior of Ti6Al4V lattice structures manufactured by laser powder bed fusion
  3. Hardness, shear strength, and microstructure of friction stir lap welded copper/aluminum using various parameters
  4. Influence of oscillating fiber laser welding process parameters on the fatigue response and mechanical performance of butt-jointed TWIP980 steels
  5. Fatigue analysis of TIG welded joints of dissimilar aluminum alloys
  6. Corrosion of self-piercing riveting joint in a Cl− and HSO3− environment
  7. Effect of annealing for stress relief on the surface integrity of gray cast iron with lamellar graphite after cavitation erosion
  8. Effects of boride coating on wear behaviour of biomedical grade Ti–45Nb alloy
  9. Effect of space holder agent on microstructural and mechanical properties of commercially pure titanium
  10. Impact and biaxial tensile-after impact behaviors of inter-ply hybrid carbon-glass/epoxy composite plates
  11. Improvement of the mechanical and wear properties of Al6061 alloys with quartz and SiC hybrid reinforcements by powder metallurgy
  12. Surface strain-based calculation of principal directional strains in multi-material carbon fiber laminates
  13. Tribological and mechanical behaviour of Al 359 composites reinforced with B4Cp, SiCp and flyash
  14. Effect of Al-based coatings deposited by EASC on exfoliation corrosion susceptibility of EN AW 7020-T6
  15. Green synthesis of CuO nanoparticles using Curcuma longa L. extract: composite dielectric and mechanical properties
  16. Comprehensive optimization of shot peening intensity using a hybrid model with AI-based techniques via Almen tests
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