An experimental investigation into tribological behaviour of additively manufactured biocompatible Ti-6Al-4V alloy

Additive manufacturing techniques are increasingly being utilized in industrial-level applications due to their flexibility and ability to produce customized parts, such as various types of biomedical implants. However, the conditions during additive manufacturing fabrication and the nature of these processes can lead to implications on the properties of the produced parts, potentially requiring appropriate post-processing before real applications. The tribological behavior of printed parts not only affects their performance but also their service life, making it crucial to investigate their wear rate and friction coefficient under different lubricant environments. In this study, an experimental investigation was conducted on as-printed Ti-6Al-4V specimens to determine the effect of various lubricant environments on wear rate and friction coefficient. The results demonstrated that the reduction in wear rate in liquid environments can be significantly hindered by the accumulation of debris from the worn specimen. However, the development of a thin film of an appropriate lubricant was shown to be favorable regarding the friction behavior of printed parts.