Effects of poly-ether-ether ketone (PEEK) veneer thickness on the reciprocating friction and wear behavior of PEEK/Ti6Al4V structures in artificial saliva

Abstract Poly-ether-ether-ketone (PEEK) veneers are attractive materials for biomedical contacting surfaces. In the present study, PEEK veneers with thicknesses between 0.1 and 2 mm were synthesized on Ti6Al4V substrates by hot pressing. The influence of PEEK thicknesses on the friction and wear behavior of veneering PEEK to Ti6Al4V structures was studied under reciprocating sliding conditions against an alumina counterbody immersed in artificial saliva at 37 °C. Additionally, numerical simulations were carried out to evaluate the influence of PEEK thickness on the contact stress. The results revealed that the coefficient of friction and the wear rate increased with decreasing the PEEK thickness. It was revealed that the increase of both coefficient of friction and wear rate are correlated with increased contact stress level on PEEK veneer. Such factors are determinant on the long term success of veneering biomedical PEEK to Ti6Al4V for oral applications.