Abstract
Metallic implant rods that are used to design spinal fixtures should have a Young's modulus that is not only sufficiently low to prevent stress shielding for the patient but also sufficiently high to suppress springback for the surgeon. Therefore, there is a need for novel titanium alloys with good biocompatibility and a changeable Young's modulus. Molybdenum is non-toxic, and Ti-Mo alloys possess good biocompatibility. In metastable β-type Ti-Mo alloys, an ω phase can be introduced by deformation at room temperature. This study investigated the effects of deformation-induced phases on the mechanical properties of a metastable β-type Ti-16Mo alloy. The experimental results indicate that the Young's modulus, tensile strength, and Vickers hardness are increased remarkably by cold rolling. The microstructural observation result by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) shows that the deformation-induced ω phase transformation occurs during cold rolling in the Ti-16Mo alloy. Therefore, the increase in Young's modulus of the alloy after cold rolling at room temperature can be attributed to a deformation-induced ω phase.
