Tribology Properties of Injection Moulded Co Based Alloy

Abstract

CoCrMo alloy is one of the most used metallic biomaterials due to its high wear. Premature wear of the component is one of the main cause of hip prosthesis failure. The objective in this study is to investigate the tribology properties of sintered CoCrMo fabricated via injection moulding. Tests were carried out at room temperature comparing metal injection moulded dog bone tensile samples at different sintering temperatures. The parameter used for the pin on disk test is a 10kN load, 500m sliding distance and a chromium steel ball as a sliding partner. The morphologies and compositions of the worn surfaces were analysed by optical and scanning electron microscope. The results showed that the wear mechanism and friction coefficient of CoCrMo depended strongly on the microstructure which was influenced by the sintering temperature.