Vitallium is an

alloy An alloy is a mixture of chemical elements of which at least one is a metal. Unlike chemical compounds with metallic bases, an alloy will retain all the properties of a metal in the resulting material, such as electrical conductivity, ductilit ...

of 65%

cobalt Cobalt is a chemical element with the symbol Co and atomic number 27. As with nickel, cobalt is found in the Earth's crust only in a chemically combined form, save for small deposits found in alloys of natural meteoric iron. The free element, p ...

, 30% chromium, 5% molybdenum, and other substances. The alloy is used in dentistry and

artificial joint Replacement arthroplasty (from Greek ''arthron'', joint, limb, articulate, + ''plassein'', to form, mould, forge, feign, make an image of), or joint replacement surgery, is a procedure of orthopedic surgery in which an arthritic or dysfunctional j ...

s, because of its resistance to

corrosion Corrosion is a natural process that converts a refined metal into a more chemically stable oxide. It is the gradual deterioration of materials (usually a metal) by chemical or electrochemical reaction with their environment. Corrosion engi ...

. It is also used for components of

turbocharger In an internal combustion engine, a turbocharger (often called a turbo) is a forced induction device that is powered by the flow of exhaust gases. It uses this energy to compress the intake gas, forcing more air into the engine in order to pro ...

s because of its

thermal resistance Thermal resistance is a heat property and a measurement of a temperature difference by which an object or material resists a heat flow. Thermal resistance is the reciprocal of thermal conductance. * (Absolute) thermal resistance ''R'' in kelvi ...

. Vitallium was developed by Albert W. Merrick for the Austenal Laboratories in 1932. Subperiosteal maxillary implant

In 2016 Norman Sharp, a 91-year-old British man, was recognised as having the world's oldest

hip replacement Hip replacement is a surgical procedure in which the hip joint is replaced by a prosthetic implant, that is, a hip prosthesis. Hip replacement surgery can be performed as a total replacement or a hemi (half) replacement. Such joint replacement o ...

implants. The two Vitallium implants were implanted in November 1948 at the

Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital The Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital (RNOH) is a specialist orthopaedic hospital located in the London Borough of Harrow, United Kingdom, and a part of Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust. It provides the most comprehensive range of ...

, under the newly formed

NHS The National Health Service (NHS) is the umbrella term for the publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom (UK). Since 1948, they have been funded out of general taxation. There are three systems which are referred to using the " ...

. The 67-year-old implants had such an unusually long life, partly because they had not required the typical replacement of such implants, but also because of Sharp's young age of 23 when they were implanted, owing to a childhood case of

septic arthritis Acute septic arthritis, infectious arthritis, suppurative arthritis, osteomyelitis, or joint infection is the invasion of a joint by an infectious agent resulting in joint inflammation. Generally speaking, symptoms typically include redness, h ...

. For high-temperature use in engines, particularly turbochargers, the first alloy used was Haynes Stellite No. 21, similar to Vitallium. This was suggested by the British engineer, and denture wearer, S.D. Heron during World War II. Although the characteristics of the material obviously suggested itself for making turbocharger blades, it was thought impossible to cast it to the precision needed. Heron demonstrated that it could be, by showing his Vitallium dentures.

References

* *

External links

Articles on Vitallium from DentalArticles.com
{{alloy-stub Cobalt alloys Chromium alloys Biomaterials