Properties of sintered Mg alloys for biomedical applications

In addition to the use as light weight construction material, magnesium alloys are also very suitable for future orthopaedic and traumatology applications. Common permanent implant materials such as titanium or stainless steel still suffer from stress shielding problems, causing bone resorption and implant loosening. In contrast, magnesium alloys provide elastic moduli and strengths matching those of cortical bone. In order to support osseointegration and vascularisation, an open porous surface structure of an Mg-implant is advantageous. The powder metallurgical processing route of Mg-alloys enables the generation of such parts. Powder blends with different sintering behaviour were produced via mixing pure Mg-powder with different Ca containing master alloy powders (MAP). As a result, sintering of these Mg alloy powders and blends became feasible. Sintered parts were investigated in view of shrinkage, porosity, grain size using SEM, EDX and XRD. In addition, compression tests were performed revealing ultimate compression strength up to 328 MPa, plastic compressibility of 22 % and compressive yield strength up to 90 MPa. Hence, the PM-route enables the production of parts with mechanical properties matching those of cortical bone.