Co-Cr-Mo alloys represent the most important category of metallic biomaterial for surgical implant applications. Recently, Chiba et al. developed a new type of bio- medical Co based alloy of Co-29Cr-6Mo-0.14N alloy. In this alloy design, the content of N is intended to be controlled to obtain the microstructure consisting of ? single phase. This developed alloy exhibits the lower stacking energy as compared to that of the practical bio-medical Co-Ni based alloy, thereby resulting in the deformation behavior accompanied by strain induced e martensitic transformation.

In this work, the damage process leading to fracture during tensile testing of a biomedical grade Co-29Cr-6Mo-0.14N alloy was analyzed on the basis of three-dimensional damage observation using X-ray tomography and electron backscattered diffraction of the fractured specimen. Initial cracking occurred at grain and annealing twin boundaries, where strain concentrates due to impingement of e-hcp plates formed through strain induced martensitic transformation (SIMT). Crack propagated along interface between ?-fcc matrix and SIMTed e-hcp on {111}, resulting in the occurrence of a quasi-cleavage fracture.