11.

Co-Cr alloys
CoCrMo alloys: cast or wrought are used in
dentistry for many years and artificial joints
CoNiCrMo alloys: usually wrought by hot
forging. Used for stems of heavily loaded
joints (knee and hip)

General properties

High mechanical properties

High Youngs modulus
Good corrosion resistance
Biocompatibility (some concern exists in Ni containing alloys)
Good wear resistance in CoCrMo alloys
High fatigue resistance
High density (8.8 g/cm3)

Many similarities between implantable Co alloys and

austenitic stainless steels
Hardenable by: solid solution strengthening, carbide
formation, cold working, aging (precipitation hardening)
2

Co-Cr alloys

FCC

Alloys based on Co-Cr FCC

matrix
FCC phase is present at room
temperature because of very
slow transformation to HCP
HCP structures may be obtained
by heat treatment or mechanical
deformation (martensite)
Cr added to improve corrosion
resistance (Cr2O3 passive film)

HCP

Mo and W act as carbide forming

elements
C and N additions improve
strength
3

Co-Ni

Ni added to stabilize FCC phase and improve ductility

4

Strength of Co-Cr alloys

May be hardened by cold working (plastic deformation-strain hardening)

5

Co-Cr alloys for implant applications

cast CoCrMo alloy (F75), wrought CoCrMo alloy (F1537) (low
carbon)
wrought CoCrWNi alloys (F90, L-605)
wrought CoNiCrMo alloy (F562)
wrought CoNiCrMoWFe alloy (F563)

Mechanical properties of Co-Cr alloys

Co-Cr-Mo alloys
Microstructure contains large
carbides
Large grain size

No carbides
Smaller grain size
improved wear and fatigue
resistance

F75 cast alloy

F1537 wrought alloy (low carbon content)

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Co-Cr-Mo Applications

Cast products are used for complex shapes and applications with
moderate mechanical strength requirements
Cast hip stems are widely used

Co-Cr-Mo metal-on-metal articulations

Modern metal/metal implants have better dimensional
control a show very low wear
Both cast and wrought materials are in use
Development of materials with improved wear
resistance is ongoing, with very low carbon content
and free of second phase particles

Spinal disc
replacement

10

Co-Ni-Cr-Mo alloys applications

Forged hip stems
Cables for orthopedic use
Pacemaker/defibrillator leads

Corrosion resistance, tensile and

fatigue strength are important
properties for this application

Defibrillator lead contains 3 silver

filled CoNiCrMo cables and a
coiled pacing lead

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Advantages of Co-Cr alloys for stents

Corrosion resistance
High density aids visibility to X-rays
Wide range of mechanical properties enable design of stents
with thinner walls improving flexibility and ease of deliverability
High elastic modulus with less recoil when balloon is released
(larger opening)

CoCrWNi alloy
L-605 alloy

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Other applications
Heart valve support cages, aneurysm clips, blood clot filters,
orthodontic wires

CoCrNiFeMo alloys
13

Bibliography
BD Ratner et al, Biomaterials Science, 2nd Ed., Elsevier, 2004.
J Park, RS Lakes, Biomaterials an Introduction, 3rd edition, Springer,
2007

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