| Summary: | Metals for biomedical implant applications require a simultaneous achievement of high strength and low Young’s modulus from the viewpoints of mechanical properties. The American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standards suggest two types of processing methods to confer such a mechanical performance to Ti-13Nb-13Zr alloy: solution treatment (ST) and capability aging (CA). This study elucidated the kinetics of CA process in Ti-13Nb-13Zr alloy. Microstructural evolution and mechanical change were investigated depending on the CA duration from 10 min to 6 h. The initial ST alloy possessed the full <i>α</i>′-martensitic structure, leading to a low strength, low Young’s modulus, and high ductility. Increasing CA duration increased mechanical strength and Young’s modulus in exchange for the reduction of ductility. Such a tendency is attributed to the decomposition of <i>α</i>′ martensite into (<i>α</i>+<i>β</i>) structure, particularly hard <i>α</i> precipitates. Mechanical compatibility (i.e., Young’s modulus compensated with a mechanical strength) of Ti-13Nb-13Zr alloy rarely increased by changing CA duration, suggestive of the intrinsic limit of static heat treatment.
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