Electrical Resistance Sintering: A Promising Tool To Process Cocrmo Alloy Samples With Exceptional Mechanical Properties

Electrical resistance sintering (ERS) is an ultrafast sintering process that uses high current densities and pressure to consolidate samples in a few seconds. These conditions enable the consolidation of powder partially retaining its original characteristics. Such characteristics can be modified by low energy mechanical milling, deforming superficially the powder while retaining its spherical shape. CoCrMo alloy is widely used for biomedical applications and requires a good combination of strength and ductility, which can be achieved with customized microstructure that features the proper phase distribution and grain size. This research investigates the use of ERS as a promising tool to fabricate CoCrMo samples from powder processed at different milling times, for exceptional mechanical properties. Microstructures are studied by means of SEM/EBSD and XRD and mechanical properties evaluated in terms of hardness.