2021 Volume 62 Issue 12 Pages 1806-1809
This study aimed to investigate the effects of alloying elements on the fatigue properties of magnesium in simulated body fluids. The fatigue life of the Mg–Zn alloy in air was longer than that of Mg–Ca. This result is in accordance with the tensile yield stress. Crack propagation occurred along the grain boundaries in Mg–Ca and among the grains in Mg–Zn because zinc addition significantly effects grain boundary strengthening. In contrast, the fatigue life in simulated body fluid was longer for the Mg–Ca alloy than for the Mg–Zn alloy at a lower stress amplitude. These results suggest that the use of both calcium and zinc as additives contributes to the further improvement of the fatigue life of magnesium in simulated body fluids as the immersion time is prolonged.