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Medical implants of hot worked, high strength, biocompatible, low modulus titanium alloys

  • US 5,509,933 A
  • Filed: 03/24/1993
  • Issued: 04/23/1996
  • Est. Priority Date: 12/21/1989
  • Status: Expired due to Term
First Claim
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1. A biocompatible medical implant of low modulus and high strength for implantation into a recipient'"'"'s body where it is subject to varying loads imposed by physical forces and corrosive effects of body fluids, said medical implant comprising:

  • a metallic alloy, said metallic alloy comprising a grain structure that results from said alloy having been subjected to metallurgical treatment steps comprising;

    (i) heating to a temperature in the range of from 100 °

    C. below a B-transus temperature of the alloy to above the β

    -transus temperature;

    (ii) hot working the alloy to produce a hot worked alloy;

    (iii) rapidly quenching the hot worked alloy; and

    (iv) aging the alloy at a temperature and for a time sufficient to develop strength in the alloy that is greater than an alloy of identical wt % composition that has not been subjected to said metallurgical treatment steps;

    wherein the metallic alloy comprises as components;

    titanium;

    from about 10 to about 20 wt. % niobium;

    an amount of zirconium in solution in the alloy sufficient to act as a beta stabilizer by slowing the transformation of beta; and

    wherein the alloy is substantially free of toxic elements, said toxic elements being aluminum, vanadium, cobalt, nickel, molybdenum and chromium, except such amounts of said toxic elements as may occur as impurities in the components and contaminants as a result of processing, the amounts of said impurities and contaminants being insignificant to cause adverse effect on the recipient'"'"'s body.

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