The use of titanium for medical applications in the USA

The Ti-6Al-4V ELI alloy is still the main titanium alloy used for medical applications to date. To address the potential safety concerns over vanadium and aluminum, and the possible advantage of using a low modulus material to reduce stress shielding, the development of a low modulus biocompatible implant material was initiated in the United States in 1986. Five beta titanium alloys (TMZFTM, Ti-13Nb-13Zr, TIMETAL® 21SRx, Tiadyne 1610 and Ti-15Mo) are being proposed for surgical implant applications in the United States. Based on published data, the comparative mechanical property data of these beta titanium alloys are presented.