Evolution of Microstructure, Phase Composition, and Mechanical Properties During Thermomechanical Treatment of Co-Cr-Mo Alloy

Co-Cr-Mo alloys are in high demand as materials for medical implants. However, hot processing of these alloys is quite difficult due to the need to maintain narrow temperature range of deformation to achieve the required mechanical properties and structure of the products. The features of formation of structure, phase composition and mechanical properties of Co-Cr-Mo alloy at the main stages of thermomechanical treatment were considered in this study. The results demonstrated a significant enhancement in the strength characteristics of the alloy during processing in both forging and radial shear rolling (RSR). At the same time, radial shear rolling processing simultaneously increased the strength and ductility of the alloy. According to the XRD analysis data, the phase composition changes from single-phase structure (FCC-phase) after forging to a mixture of FCC-phase and HCP-phase after RSR during processing. The structure gradient characteristic of RSR decreased as the total elongation ratio increased, maintaining a tendency towards a finer-grained structure near the surface of the bars and a coarser one in the center. This tendency was reflected in the average grain size and the level of mechanical properties. Combined thermomechanical treatment, including the RSR process, made it possible to achieve a unique formation of microstructure and phase composition in the Co-Cr-Mo alloy, ensuring high strength while maintaining ductility.