Abstract
This study investigated the micromechanical and tribological properties of WE43 alloy (Mg-Y-Nd-Zr) alloy subjected to cryogenic treatment and precipitation hardening. Microindentation tests were carried out in the range of load from 100 to 1000 mN. The introduction of deep cryogenic treatment (DCT) was shown to increase hardness and Young’s modulus, and reduce the total indentation work. As the load set during the tests increased, a gradual decrease in the measured values was observed, indicating a significant relationship between the indent size and the value of the measured parameters. Cryogenic treatment used in conjunction with precipitation hardening (after solutioning and after aging) reduces the tribological wear of the alloy. Tests have shown an almost twofold reduction in the area of the wear trace and in the volumetric wear of the alloy, as well as a more than twofold reduction in linear wear, with relatively small fluctuations in the coefficient of friction. Abrasion was the main mechanism of wear. Areas where microcutting, adhesion and plastic deformation occurred were also observed. The results indicate the significant effectiveness of the applied heat treatment in improving the service life of the WE43 alloy containing rare earth metals.
Highlights
Magnesium is one of the most common metallic elements found in the earth’s crust, estimated to be about 2% of the total mass of the earth’s crust [1]
Combined with precipitation hardening on the micromechanical properties of WE43 magnesium alloy and the effect of increasing the load applied during the tests on the of 15 measurement results was analyzed
WE43 in initial its initial (a), after cryogenic treat(b), after treatment and sub-zero treatment (c) and(c) after hardening combined ment (b),solution after solution treatment and sub-zero treatment andprecipitation after precipitation hardening combined with deep cryogenic treatment (d)
Summary
Magnesium is one of the most common metallic elements found in the earth’s crust, estimated to be about 2% of the total mass of the earth’s crust [1]. Magnesium rare earth alloys, such as the WE43, have high biocompatibility (mechanical properties similar to the cortical bone) [6]. This is a major advantage over previous generations of biomaterials (first and second), for it allows the reduction of stress shield effects [7,8,9]. The use of rare earth elements makes it possible to modify the properties of the alloy by means of a precipitation hardening process [14]. This leads to improved mechanical, tribological and corrosive properties. An addition of zirconium in the WE43 improves the tensile strength and allows a grain size reduction [1,4]
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