Surface hardened biocompatible metallic medical implants
First Claim
1. A surface hardened metallic medical implant, the implant comprising:
- a surface hardened metallic alloy implant body with surface hardness greater than about 40 Rockwell C, the hardened surface produced by a process comprising;
(i) selecting a metallic alloy containing less than about 2 wt. % of a metal solute different from and more readily nitridable than other elements of the metallic alloy implant body;
(ii) hardening the surface of the implant body by internal nitridation of a substantial proportion of the more readily nitridable solute at the surface of the implant while maintaining a metallic luster on the surface of the implant.
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Accused Products
Abstract
This invention provides surface hardened, abrasion resistant high strength, biocompatible metal medical implants, in particular, titanium alloy implants which do not include any elements which have been shown or suggested as having short term or long term potential adverse effect from a standpoint of biocompatibility. Further, the invention provides methods of strengthening and hardening the surfaces of other titanium, zirconium, and cobalt-based alloy implants with small concentrations of a metal solute such as zirconium, yttrium, tantalum, aluminum, silicon, chromium, or thorium via internal oxidation or nitridation. Alternatively, nitrogen, oxygen, or carbon can be diffused directly into the surface of the implants by interstitial hardening to further increase the surface abrasion resistance of these internally oxidized or internally nitridized implant metal or metal alloys.
147 Citations
6 Claims
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1. A surface hardened metallic medical implant, the implant comprising:
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a surface hardened metallic alloy implant body with surface hardness greater than about 40 Rockwell C, the hardened surface produced by a process comprising; (i) selecting a metallic alloy containing less than about 2 wt. % of a metal solute different from and more readily nitridable than other elements of the metallic alloy implant body; (ii) hardening the surface of the implant body by internal nitridation of a substantial proportion of the more readily nitridable solute at the surface of the implant while maintaining a metallic luster on the surface of the implant. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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Specification