Study on the corrosion and wear characteristics of magnesium alloy AZ91D in simulated body fluids

Bioimplants made of metallic materials induce a stress-shielding effect and delayed osteoblast activity during in-vivo experiments. Bioimplants also suffer corrosion, wear and combined effect of corrosion–wear during their service time. Bioimplants made of magnesium alloys result in a negligible stress shielding effect, owing to their similarity with bone’s elastic modulus. However, the soft matrix of the magnesium alloy is susceptible to high-wear rates. In this study, magnesium alloy AZ91D is subjected to the corrosion test (immersion and electrochemical), adhesive wear and simultaneous corrosion–wear test to test the significance of the body fluid in the corrosion–wear rate of the bioimplants. The surface morphology, elemental composition and phase composition of the specimens are characterized using field emission scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction analytic techniques. The results indicate that the simulated-body fluid has a significant effect on the corrosion rate and corrosion–wear rate of the specimens.