Manufacturing of high-strength Ni-free Co–Cr–Mo alloy rods via cold swaging

Abstract

The strengthening of biomedical metallic materials is crucial to increasing component durability in biomedical applications. In this study, we employ cold swaging as a strengthening method for Ni-free Co–Cr–Mo alloy rods and examine its effect on the resultant microstructures and mechanical properties. N is added to the alloy to improve the cold deformability, and a maximum reduction in area (r) of 42.6% is successfully obtained via cold swaging. The rod strength and ductility increase and decrease, respectively, with increasing cold-swaging reduction r. Further, the 0.2% proof stress at r=42.6% eventually reaches 1900MPa, which is superior to that obtained for the other strengthening methods proposed to date. Such significant strengthening resulting from the cold-swaging process may be derived from extremely large work hardening due to a strain-induced γ (fcc)→ε (hcp) martensitic transformation, with the resultant intersecting ε-martensite plates causing local strain accumulation at the interfaces. The lattice defects (dislocations/stacking faults) inside the ε phase also likely contribute to the overall strength. However, excessive application of strain during the cold-swaging process results in a severe loss in ductility. The feasibility of cold swaging for the manufacture of high-strength Co–Cr–Mo alloy rods is discussed.