Precision Grinding of the Head of Artificial Joint (Co-Cr alloy) with a New Electrical Grinding System

Abstract

Co-Cr alloy used as a biomaterial is required to possess an excellent resistance to corrosion, wear, and biocompatibility. In addition, it needs to have a mirror-like surface finish for improvement of chemical stability. In the present work, we performed Electrolytic In-Process Dressing grinding on Co-Cr alloy, and also evaluated the processing characteristics and the resulting surface properties. Final finishing using a #8000 wheel produced an extremely smooth ground surface. In addition, as compared with the conventionally polished samples, the ground samples demonstrated superior surface hardness. These advantages can be attributed to the diffusion of several kinds of elements during the grinding process and the effect of grinding fluid compositions.