Potential and frequency effects on fretting corrosion of Ti6Al4V and CoCrMo surfaces

Fretting corrosion has been reported at the metal-metal interfaces of a wide range of medical devices, including total joint replacements, spinal devices, and overlapping cardiovascular stents. Currently, the fretting corrosion phenomenon associated with metal-on-metal contacts is not fully understood. This study investigated the effect of potential and fretting frequency on the fretting corrosion performance of Ti6Al4V/Ti6Al4V, Ti6Al4V/CoCrMo, and CoCrMo/CoCrMo alloy combinations at fixed normal load and displacement conditions using a custom built fretting corrosion test system. The results showed that the fretting current densities increased with increases in potential and were highest for Ti6Al4V/Ti6Al4V couple (1.5 mA/cm² at 0 V vs. Ag/AgCl). The coefficient of friction varied with potential and was about two times higher for Ti6Al4V/Ti6Al4V (0.71 V at 0 V vs. Ag/AgCl). In most of the potential range tested, the fretting corrosion behavior of CoCrMo/Ti6Al4V and CoCrMo/CoCrMo was similar and dominated by the CoCrMo surface. Increase in applied fretting frequency linearly increased the fretting current densities in the regions where the passive film is stable. Also, the model-based fretting current densities were in excellent agreement with the experimental results. Overall, Ti6Al4V/Ti6Al4V couple was more susceptible to fretting corrosion compared with other couples. However, the effects of these processes on the biological system were not assessed. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 101A: 2602-2612, 2013.