Influence of loading on friction and wear properties of pure titanium used in dentistry

Objective To study the influence of load on friction and wear properties of pure Titanium (Ti). Methods Two-body wear test was done on pure Ti by a MMV-1 vertical universal friction and wear testing machine in 37℃ with artificial saliva as lubricant, using steatite as the grinding material. Test loads were set as 20, 50 and 100 N. Dynamic friction coefficient was recorded, wear surface morphology was observed with electron microscope, debris element analysis was carried out by XRD and quality wear loss was measured by electronic balance. Results As loads increased, the wear loss and friction coefficient of the pure Ti increased. Under 20, 50 and 100 N loads, the dominant wear form was abrasive wear, adhesion wear accompanied with abrasive wear, and adhesion wear respectively. Conclusions The increase of loads enlarges the wear loss of pure Ti and changes its dominant wear form. Serious adhesion wear occurs under high loading conditions and the lifetime of pure Ti would therefore be shortened.