Magnesium (Mg) and its alloys have received a lot of interest for their use in biomedical devices such as screws and plates. Mg and its alloys have emerged as possible candidates for these applications owing to their low weight, high strength-to-weight ratio, superior biocompatibility, and biodegradability in human body fluids. The alloying of Mg with other elements such as zinc (Zn), silicon (Si), and tin (Sn) enhances its mechanical properties without affecting biocompatibility much [1-3]. In that respect, it is imperative to study the microstructure and mechanical/functional characteristics of Mg-Zn-Si alloy with Sn addition. 

The processing-structure-property–correlation of Mg-Zn-Si-xSn alloys (x= 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 wt.%) has been established in the current work. Alloys were synthesized via two different routes: pressure die casting and gravity die casting. The microstructural characterization was carried out using SEM coupled with EDS, XRD and EBSD. Subsequently, mechanical properties were evaluated using Vickers hardness (HV) and bulk compression testing. In addition to that, the reciprocating wear behaviour at different loads has been examined. The wear characteristics were thoroughly studied using SEM and optical profilometer to understand the underlying wear mechanisms. The mechanical properties have been found to be significantly impacted by differences in Sn addition. It was found that wear behaviour varied with load and composition.

References

[1] M.Ali, Journal of Alloy and Compounds,2009,792,1162-1190

[2] C.Shuai, Materials Chemistry Frontiers,2019, 3,544

[3] R.Bieber, Case Reports in Orthopedics,2016,9673174