Texture evolution and mechanical anisotropy of biomedical hot-rolled Co–Cr–Mo alloy

Crystallographic textures and their effect on the mechanical anisotropy of a hot-rolled biomedical Co–Cr–Mo alloy were investigated. The hot-rolled Co–28Cr–6Mo–0.13N (mass%) alloy examined here exhibited a monotonic strength increment following hot-rolling reduction, eventually reaching a 0.2% proof stress of 1400 MPa while maintaining acceptable ductility (>10%). The dominant hot-rolling texture was a brass-type component, which is characterized by the alloy’s peculiarly low stacking fault energy (SFE) even at hot rolling temperatures, although the minor peaks of the near copper component were also identified. However, because of the onset of dynamic recrystallization (DRX) during the hot rolling process, the texture intensity was relatively weak even after 90% hot rolling, although the grain refinement originating from the DRX was not significant (the “less active DRX” condition increased the strain accumulation during the process, resulting in high-strength samples). The weakened texture development resulted in negligible in-plane anisotropy for the hot-rolled specimen strength, when the specimens were tensile strained in the rolling direction (RD) and transverse direction (TD). The elongation-to-failure, however, exhibited a difference with respect to the tensile loading axis. It is suggested that the ductility anisotropy is closely related to a strain-induced γ (fcc)→ε (hcp) martensitic transformation during tensile loading, resulting in a difference in the proportion of quasi-cleavage fracture surfaces. The obtained results will be helpful in the development of high-strength Co–Cr–Mo alloy plates and sheets, and have implications regarding plastic deformation and texture evolution during the hot rolling of non-conventional metallic materials with low SFE at elevated temperatures, where planar dislocation slips of Shockley partial dislocations and thermally activated process interplay.