| Abstract Scope |
Magnesium alloys have been used as biodegradable load-bearing implants owing to their compatibility, comparable mechanical properties to natural bone, and unique ability to naturally degrade in the physiological environment. Recently, additive manufacturing (AM) of Mg has gained significant interest due to the potential to develop compositionally gradient biodegradable implants and complex implant designs for improved biological function. In this work, the effect of AM processing parameters (e.g. laser power, interlayer interval time, etc.) on microstructure and mechanical properties of Mg parts fabricated using laser powder directed energy deposition (LPDED) is studied. Microstructure was characterized using optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy, and electron backscatter diffraction. Mechanical behavior of the samples was investigated using microhardness and uniaxial tensile testing. Moreover, additively manufactured samples were post-processed using (HIP and heat treatment) and the effect of post-processing on microstructure and mechanical behavior of the additively manufactured samples was also evaluated. |