Surface integrity of magnesium-calcium implants processed by synergistic dry cutting-finish burnishing

Abstract

Biodegradable magnesium-calcium (MgCa) alloy is a very attractive orthopedic biomaterial compared to permanent metallic alloys. However, the critical issue is that MgCa alloy corrodes too fast in the human organism. It is expected that surface integrity of an MgCa implant has significant impact on the corrosion performance. Compared to dry cutting, the synergistic dry cutting-finish burnishing of MgCa0.8 alloy is capable of producing superior surface integrity including good surface finish, high compressive hook-shaped residual stress profile, extended strain hardening in subsurface, and little change of grain size.