Commercial pure titanium offers excellent biocompatibility, but its properties are poor for some biomedical applications where both mechanical properties and biocompatibility are required. The study attempts to evaluate the developement ofTi–Zr alloys using conventional powder metallurgical techniques by mixing elemental powder (BE) or mechanical mixing (MA) as a function of the zirconium content (6, 15 and 20 wt-%). Sintering was performed at 1523 K after compaction at 700 MPa for BE powders and 900 MPa for MA powders. Sintered parts were tested to obtain maximum flexural strength. Samples were characterised microstructurally by X-ray diffraction to study the phases. Optical microscopy (OM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were performed to study the phases, porosity, grain size. Flexural strength to Ti CP was greater, but slightly diminished with increasing Zr content. However, the elastic modulus increased slightly compared to Ti. The results obtained show that it is possible to make these alloys by powder metallurgy.

Titanium alloys with high refractory metals content are required to obtain advanced biomaterials with a low elastic modulus and good mechanical properties. This work studies the influence of Fe content on the microstructure and mechanical properties of powder metallurgy Ti35Nb10Ta(Fe) alloys, with Fe content additions of 1.5, 3.0 and 4.5 wt%. Samples are obtained by uniaxial compaction and sintering at 1250 °C and 1300 °C. Microstructural characterization is performed by scanning and transmission electron microscopy and mechanical characterization by bending, compression and a hardness test. The elastic modulus is measured by the ultrasounds technique. The results show a 10% increase in the maximum bending strength with an increase in the sintering temperature. The obtained microstructure is composed of β-Ti phase (bcc) and some regions where laths of the α-Ti (hcp) phase occur along the grain boundaries. Fe addition slightly improves the stability of the β-Ti phase and conversely decreases the maximum strength and final deformability due to increased porosity. The Ti35Nb10Ta alloy composition displays better properties, with an elastic modulus of 75 GPa, a bending strength of 853 MPa and compression strength of 1000 MPa.