High-throughput characterization of elastic moduli of Ti-Nb-Zr-O biomedical alloys fabricated by field-assisted sintering technique

Compositionally graded samples of Ti-xNb-7Zr-yO alloys (11 ≤ x ≤ 35, 0.49 ≤ y ≤1.01 wt%) were prepared from elemental powders and TiO2 and compacted by the field-assisted sintering technique. By this approach, four layered samples covering together twenty four different chemical compositions were prepared. It allowed efficient sampling of alloys for potential biomedical use. Elastic constants of each layer (the shear modulus G and the Young’s modulus E) were determined using resonant ultrasound spectroscopy. The results show that in the considered compositional space, elastic constants exhibit a dependence on the volume fraction of β-stabilizing niobium and interstitial oxygen. Minimum elastic modulus was achieved for the compositions close to the stability limit between parent β matrix and martensitic α″ phase, while maximum elastic constants were caused by the presence of isothermal ω particles. •Compositionally graded samples of Ti-Nb-Zr-O alloys were fabricated by powder metallurgy.•4 sintered pellets covered 24 different chemical compositions, with α' , α″, β and ω phases.•Elastic constants for each composition were determined by ultrasonic measurements.•The elastic constants exhibited systematic evolutions with the phase composition.•The ω phase strongly affected the elastic constants close to the stability limits of β and α″.