Papers by Author: Denis P. Dowling

Abstract: This paper reports on the response of hydroxyapatite (HA) coatings, fabricated using two deposition technologies, to immersion in simulated body fluid (SBF). The deposition methods used were: plasma spray, a commercial standard, and CoBlast, a novel low temperature microblast technique. In the case of the latter, HA coatings are deposited by simultaneous blasting HA and abrasive powders concentrically at a metallic substrate, resulting in a thin layer of HA (approx. 2.5 µm thick). Groups of the CoBlast and plasma spray HA coatings were immersed in 7 ml of SBF solution for 1, 2, 4, 7, 14 and 28 days, and were subsequently removed and examined for any alterations caused by the SBF solution. It was noted from this study that the CoBlast HA coatings appeared to undergo a two step calcium phosphate recrystallisation process; initial homogenous nucleation and subsequent heterogeneous nucleation. Conversely recrystallisation on the plasma spray coatings appeared to proceed largely through a heterogeneous nucleation process. Two factors that may influence the differences in HA recrystallisation is the presence of amorphous HA resulting in rapid dissolution, and/or the significantly lower surface area (roughness) offered to the SBF solution by the CoBlast coatings. The interpretation of recrystallisation mechanisms from this preliminary study is limited however by the differences in coating morphology and thickness (27 versus 2 µm) for the plasma spray and CoBlast HA coatings respectively.

Abstract: The objective of this study is to investigate the use of microwave plasma treatments as a processing technology for the sintering of metal powders. The volumetric heating process achieved with microwaves is considerably more efficient compared with resistance heating. The sintering study was carried out on 20 mm diameter by 2 mm thick compacted discs of nickel powder, with mean particle size of 1 µm. The discs were fired in a 5 cm diameter microwave plasma ball, under a hydrogen atmosphere at a pressure of 2 kPa. There was an increase in fired pellet transverse rupture strength (TRS) with plasma treatment duration. The mechanical properties of the sintered nickel discs were compared based on TRS, Rockwell hardness tests and density measurements. The morphology of the sintered discs was compared using microscopy and SEM. Comparison disc sintering studies were carried out using both a non plasma microwave and tube furnace firing. Using the microwave plasma sintering process full sintered disc strength of ≈1000 N (based on 3-point bend tests) was achieved after a 10 minute treatment time. In contrast the sintering time in the tube furnace treatment involved total processing time of up to 6 hours. The non plasma microwave system involved intermediate treatment periods of 2 hours. The degree of sintering between the individual nickel powder particles can be precisely controlled by the duration of the treatment time in the plasma.

Abstract: This paper presents the mechanical performance of the annealed NiTi Shape Memory Alloy (SMA) coating deposited onto 316L stainless steel substrate. The as-deposited SMA coating, Ni55.9 Ti44.1, showed an amorphous behaviour. The crystalline NiTi (SMA) coating was produced by annealing the as-deposited NiTi with a thickness about 2.0 µm, at above its crystallisation temperature in a vacuum ambient. The annealed NiTi coatings were characterised to determine the effect of the annealing parameters on their mechanical behaviour. The NiTi phases and structures were determined by x-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) whereas the mechanical properties were measured using the Rockwell C adhesion test. Three main phases; NiTi B2 parent phase, Ni3Ti and TiO2 were found in the annealed samples and the intensities of each phase were dependent on the annealing temperature and annealing time. Each phase significantly affected the mechanical behaviour of the coatings. Higher intensities of Ni3Ti and TiO2 phases were believed to contribute to the low adhesion of the annealed NiTi coatings due to their brittle properties. The annealing parameters; 600 °C for durations of 30 min was considered as the optimum parameter, yielding no fine cracks at the Rockwell C indentation interface compared to other samples at high magnification under the SEM. Adding a hard top layer of TiN would potentially provide a hard coating with an interlayer capable of absorbing impact which would be very suitable for ball joints used in hip replacement therapy.