Investigation of tribocorrosion properties of the titanium implant and analysis of tribocorrosion using digital image processing techniques

In this thesis, it is aimed to quantitatively calculate the effects of wear and corrosion phenomenon on Titanium implant materials when the Titanium implant is exposed to a simulated bodily environment. The Titanium implant is a mechanical system that undergoes Tribocorrosion at the interface between the implant and the abutment alloy, where material degradation is common. A sufficient number of samples of the aforementioned material (Titanium-Ti6Al4V) obtained from the field and currently actively used in surgeries were prepared and parameters such as wear coefficient, wear volume loss and corrosion rate of this material, which are very important for Tribocorrosion, were experimentally determined in the laboratory environment. Comprehensive evaluation of such abrasive mechanical systems in simulated bodily environments provides a clear understanding of material loss due to wear and corrosion interactions at the interface between implant and abutment alloy for various combinations of implant-implant alloy materials. The materials in question were subjected to dry sliding wear in accordance with the relevant standards for a certain number of cycles, and the wear volume loss and friction coefficient were recorded simultaneously for pin-on-disc combinations. To enhance realistic conditions, simultaneous changes in corrosion kinetics were revealed in the presence of a small surface area of the materials, then in the presence of Artificial Body Fluids, which are used in-vitro to facilitate the electrochemical behavior of the materials at body pH levels. The results were investigated how suitable Titanium is to resist material loss in body implants due to both wear and corrosion. Morphological inferences were made by using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with the help of digital image processing techniques by providing image enhancement of the worn and corroded areas of the Ti6Al4V alloy.