CoCr Alloys

There are basically two types of cobalt-chromium alloys:

1. The castable CoCrMo alloy.

2. The CoNiCrMo alloy (which is usually wrought by (hot) forging).

The castable CoCrMo alloy has been used for many decades in dentistry and, recently, in making artificial
joints.
The wrought CoNiCrMo alloy is relatively new, now used for making the stems of prostheses for heavily
loaded joints such as the knee and hip.

The ASTM lists four types of CoCr alloys which are recommended for surgical implant applications:
(1) cast CoCrMo alloy (F75).
(2) wrought CoCrWNi alloy (F90).
(3) wrought CoNiCrMo alloy (F562).
(4) wrought CoNiCrMoWFe alloy (F563).

At the present time only two of the four alloys are used extensively in implant fabrications, the castable
CoCrMo and the wrought CoNiCrMo alloy.

Chemical Compositions of CoCr Alloys [ASTM]

Element CoCrMo(F75) CoCrWNi(F90) CoNiCrMo(F562) CoNiCrMoWFe(F563)

Min. Max Min. Max. Min. Max. Min. Max.
Cr 27.0 30.0 19.0 21.0 19.0 21.0 18.00 22.00
Mo 5.0 7.0 — — 9.0 10.5 3.00 4.00
Ni — 2.5 9.0 11.0 33.0 37.0 15.00 25.00
Fe — 0.75 — 3.0 — 1.0 4.00 6.00
C — 0.35 0.05 0.15 — 0.025 — 0.05
Si — 1.00 — 1.00 — 0.15 — 0.50
Mn — 1.00 — 2.00 — 0.15 — 1.00
W — — 14.0 16.0 — — 3.00 4.00
P — — — — — 0.015 — —
S — — — — — 0.010 — 0.010
Ti — — — — — 1.0 0.50 3.50
Co Balance

*The two basic elements of the CoCr alloys form a solid solution of up to 65% Co.
*The molybdenum is added to produce finer grains which results in higher strengths after casting or forging.
*The chromium enhances corrosion resistance as well as solid solution strengthening of the alloy.

*The CoNiCrMo alloy contains approximately 35% Co and Ni each. The alloy is highly corrosion resistant
to seawater (containing chloride ions) under stress. Cold working can increase the strength of the alloy
considerably .
*There is a considerable difficulty of cold working on this alloy, especially when making large devices such
as hip joint stems. Only hot-forging can be used to fabricate a large implant with the alloy.
*The superior fatigue and ultimate tensile strength of the wrought CoNiCrMo alloy make it suitable for the
applications which require long service life without fracture or stress fatigue. Such is the case for the stems
of the hip joint prostheses. This advantage is better appreciated when the implant has to be replaced, since it
is quite difficult to remove the failed piece of implant embedded deep in the femoral medullary canal.
*Both the cast and wrought alloys have excellent corrosion resistance
The metallic products released from the prosthesis because of wear, corrosion, and fretting may impair
organs and local tissues.
*In vitro studies have indicated that particulate Co is toxic to human, but particulate Cr and CoCr alloys are
no significant toxicity. The toxicity of metal extracts in vitro have indicated that Co and Ni extracts at 50%
concentration appear to be highly toxic since all viability parameters were altered after 24 h. However, Cr
extract seems to be less toxic than Ni and Co.
*The modulus of elasticity for the CoCr alloys does not change with the changes in their ultimate tensile
strength. The values range from 220 to 234 GPa, which are higher than other materials such as stainless
steels. This may have some implications of different load transfer modes to the bone in artificial joint
replacements.
Low wear has been recognized as an advantage of metal-on-metal hip articulations because of its hardness
and toughness.

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