Titanium cermet was successfully synthesized and formed a thin gradient
titanium carbide coating on the surface of
Ti6Al4V alloy by using a novel sequential carburization under high temperature, while the
titanium cermet femoral head was produced. The
titanium cermet phase and surface topography were characterized with X-ray diffraction (XRD) and backscattered electron imaging (BSE). And then the wear behavior of
titanium cermet femoral head was investigated by using CUMT II artificial joint hip simulator. The surface characterization indicates that
carbon effectively diffused into the
titanium alloys and formed a hard
TiC layer on the
Ti6Al4V alloys surface with a micro-porous structure. The artificial hip joint experimental results show that
titanium cermet femoral head could not only improve the wear resistance of artificial femoral head, but also decrease the wear of
UHMWPE joint cup. In addition, the carburized
titanium alloy femoral head could effectively control the
UHMWPE debris distribution, and increase the size of
UHMWPE debris. All of the results suggest that
titanium cermet is a prospective femoral head material in artificial joint.