Papers by Author: Toshikazu Akahori

Abstract: Hardness of Ag-20Pd-12Au-14.5Cu (mass%) subjected to a solution treatment (ST) at a temperature over 1073 K followed by water quenching increases drastically. This unique hardening behavior is not clarified becasue of their complex microsturucures. In this study, the relationship between the unique hardening behaviour and the microstructure of dental Ag-20Pd-12Au-xCu subjected to ST with different Cu/Ag ratios was investigated. The Vickers hardness of Ag-20Pd-12Au-14.5Cu increases remarkably from 192 to 286 Hv after ST whereas that of Ag-20Pd-12Au-6.5Cu decreases and that of Ag-20Pd-12Au-20Cu increases slightly after ST, respectively. The spotty regions are observed in only certain areas of Ag-20Pd-12Au-14.5Cu subject to ST. It is considered that the appearance of the spotty regions affects mainly to the unique hardening behaviour in Ag-20Pd-12Au-xCu.

Abstract: Mechanical properties of beta-type biomedical Ti-29Nb-13Ta-4.6Zr (mass %) (TNTZ), which exhibits non-toxicity and a low modulus similar to that of cortical bone, is improved by thermomechanical treatments, including severe cold swaging. Simultaneously, the biocompatibility of a TNTZ spinal implant rod with living tissue is evaluated using ovines, and TNTZ is proved to show good biocompatibility with bovine tissue.

Abstract: Y2O3 was added to β-type Ti-29Nb-13Ta-4.6Zr (TNTZ) in order to achieve excellent mechanical performance and low Young’s modulus. TNTZ specimens with 0.05%–1.0% Y are all found to be composed of a β phase. Young’s moduli of TNTZ with 0.05–1.0% Y are all maintained low, and are almost the same as that of TNTZ without Y2O3. The grain size of TNTZ with 0.05%–1.0% Y is smaller than that of TNTZ without Y2O3. Moreover, Y2O3 precipitates can prevent the texture movement, and this effect becomes more obvious with an increase in the Y concentration. The tensile strength of TNTZ is successfully improved by adding Y2O3. TNTZ specimens with 0.2% and 1.0% Y exhibit good balance between the tensile strength and the elongation.

Abstract: A peculiar effect of oxygen on ω-phase stability, i.e., the enhancement of the isothermal ω-phase formation during aging due to oxygen addition was observed in the Ti-29Nb-13Ta-4.6Zr; this effect is contradictory to that reported conventionally. The effect was analyzed from the viewpoint of distribution of alloying elements. Oxygen and/or zirconium may dissolve in the ω phase during aging, resulting in the stabilization of the ω phase in this alloy.

Abstract: Ti-29Nb-13Ta-4.6Zr has been recently developed as a biomaterial showing most potential. The study here was conducted to investigate the high temperature deformation behavior under uniaxial tensile stress at various temperatures (i.e., 700°C, 800°C and 900°C) with different initial strain rates at atmospheric condition. Results of the high temperature tensile tests show a significant improved elongation-to-failure of this novel biomaterial at elevated temperatures compared to open literature, and hence its formability potential.

Abstract: Oxygen plays very important roles in titanium and its alloys. Solute oxygen in titanium alloys leads to solid solution strengthening, suppressing the precipitation of the athermal omegaor orthorhombic martensite phase, enhancing the formation of the -case, etc. The proper using oxygen is effective to improve the mechanical functionalities of titanium alloys. However, the role of oxygen in titanium alloys is still not well understood. Therefore, the effect of oxygen on the mechanical functionalities such as strength-ductility balance, hardness, and Young’s modulus in Ti-29nb-13Ta-4.6Zr was investigated.

Abstract: A new -type Ti alloy composed of non-toxic and allergy-free elements like Nb, Ta, and Zr, Ti-29Nb-13Ta-4.6Zr alloy (TNTZ) proposed by present authors, has been developed in order to achieve relatively low Young’s modulus and excellent mechanical performance. On the other hand, Zr has been also paid attention as metallic biomaterial for the next generation because of good biocompatibility nearly equal to Ti or a few GPa smaller Young’s modulus as compared to one. In this study, mechanical performances such as tensile properties and Young's modulus of TNTZ subjected to thermo-mechanical treatments or severe deformation, and the mechanical properties and biocompatibility of Zr-Nb system alloys were investigated in order to judge their potential for biomedical applications. Young’s modulus of as-solutionized TNTZ, which is around 63 GPa, is pretty similar to that of as-cold-rolled TNTZ. The Young’s moduli of hot-rolled Ti-6Al-4V ELI alloy are respective around 110 GPa. The Young’s moduli of as-solutionized and as-cold-rolled TNTZ are around a half of those, and are twice as large as that of the cortical bone. The tensile strengths of TNTZ aged after solution treatment and those aged after cold rolling decrease with an increase in the aging temperature, although the elongation shows the reverse trend. The tensile strength of as-cold-rolled TNTZ is improved drastically through severe deformation such as high pressure torsion and shows more than 1000 MPa. Zr-XNb system alloy (X: 5-30mass%) shows the smallest value of Young’s modulus (around 58 GPa) at Nb content of 20mass%. In the case of implantation of the bars made of Zr-XNb system alloys into the lateral femoral condyles of Japanese white rabbits, the tendency of contact between the cancellous bone and the bar becomes remarkably at 24 weeks after the implantation according to increasing with Nb content.

Abstract: Negative thermal expansion, i.e. a type of shrinkage that occurs during heating, was observed in cold-rolled Ti-29Nb-13Ta-4.6Zr alloy (mass%) (TNTZ). The reduction ratio of cold rolling was systematically changed, and then the thermal expansion rate was measured using a dilatometer. The cyclicity of thermal expansion was also examined for the cold-rolled TNTZ. Further, the effect of oxygen content on the thermal expansion behavior of the cold rolled TNTZ was examined. With an increase in the reduction ratio of cold rolling, the thermal expansion rate of TNTZ cold-rolled parallel to the rolling direction (RD) decreases, but it increases in TNTZ cold-rolled parallel to the transverse direction (TD). The cyclicity of above-mentioned anomalous thermal expansion is observed in a temperature range below 473 K, but it is not observed when the specimen is heated to above 573 K in the first cycle. The oxygen suppresses the negative thermal expansion behavior of TNTZ.

Abstract: Implanting a spinal fixture using metallic rods is one of the effective treatments for spinal diseases. Because cyclic bending stress is loaded on the implant rods when patients move their upper bodies in daily life, bending fatigue properties are important for the implant rod. Further, the implant rods are bended plastically into a curved shape of spine by hand in a surgical operation. In that case, keeping shape is important, namely bending spring back properties are important factors. On the other hand, a biomedical β-type titanium alloy, Ti-29Nb-13Ta-4.6Zr (mass %) alloy (TNTZ), has been developed by the authors. Currently, this alloy are investigated to be applied to the above mentioned implant rod practically. Therefore, four-point bending fatigue and three point-bending spring back properties of TNTZ subjected various heat treatments were examined in this study. TNTZ rods were subjected to solution treatment, and then some of them were subjected to aging treatment at 673 K or 723 K for 259.2 ks, followed by water quenching. Then, four-point bending fatigue and three-point bending spring back tests were carried out on TNTZ rods subjected to the various heat treatments mentioned above. The bending fatigue strength at 2.5 million cycles in the high cycle fatigue region are not much different among any TNTZ rod. However, the bending fatigue strength of the Ti-6Al-4V ELI (Ti64) rod exceeds the fatigue strengths of every TNTZ rods in both low and high cycle fatigue regions. On the other hand, the lower spring back, which is a favorable property, was obtained for some TNTZ rod than Ti64 rod.

Abstract: The surface of Ti-29Nb-13Ta-4.6Zr (TNTZ) subjected to gas nitriding at 1023–1223 K was investigated in comparison with the conventional biomedical titanium alloy, Ti-6Al-4V ELI (Ti64). After gas nitriding, the microstructures near the surface of these alloys were observed by optical microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Auger electron spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. In both alloys, two titanium nitrides (TiN and Ti2N) are formed and the α phase precipitated by gas nitriding. Furthermore, oxygen impurity in the gas nitriding atmosphere reacts with the titanium nitrides; thus, TiO2 is formed at the outermost titanium nitride layer. The surface hardening was also evaluated by Vickers hardness measurement. The Vickers hardness near the surface of TNTZ and Ti64 increases significantly by gas nitriding.