Cryogenic machining and burnishing of magnesium alloys to improve in vivo corrosion resistance

Magnesium alloys are emerging as a promising candidate material for temporary biomedical fixation implants. However, the poor corrosion resistance of magnesium alloys limits their biomedical application to a great extent. Different from traditional methods to improve corrosion resistance, the work presented in this chapter shows that corrosion resistance can be enhanced by using two mechanical processing methods: cryogenic machining and cryogenic burnishing. Experimental results on surface integrity changes obtained from these processes, including microstructural, crystallographic orientation, and residual stress changes are reported, as well as the related corrosion performance of the processed samples.