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Surface Characteristics and Corrosion Behavior of Wire

Electrical Discharge Machining Processed Mg-4Zn Alloy
Randeep Singh Gill, Kamal Kumar, and Uma Batra

Submitted: 8 October 2020 / Revised: 5 January 2021 / Accepted: 23 January 2021

In the present work, wire electrical discharge machining (WEDM) has been investigated for surface
characteristics and corrosion behavior of Mg-4Zn alloy. Using TaguchiÕs design of experiment technique,
the influence of WEDM parameters, namely spark-on time, spark-off time, and servo voltage, has been
studied on surface roughness (SR) and corrosion rate (CR). SEM observations showed that WEDM pro-
cessing has a significant influence on the surface modification of Mg-4Zn alloy. Increasing discharge energy
in the WEDM process has resulted in large surface craters, a higher density of micro-cracks, and micro-
pores resulting in higher SR and accelerated CR in Mg-4Zn alloy. Corresponding to minimum SR and CR,
the optimal set of WEDM parameters has been selected to prepare the WEDMed Mg-4Zn samples that
were further analyzed for electrochemical polarization, apatite formation, and weight loss in simulated
body fluid (SBF) and were additionally compared to polished samples of Mg-4Zn over a period of 21 days.
Electrochemical polarization tests demonstrate that the CR increases rapidly upon the exposure time of 7
days; beyond that, the CR decreases with further exposure time up to 21 days. Initially, up to 24 hours,
WEDMed samples showed better electrochemical corrosion resistance, whereas, later on, polished samples
demonstrated an increased corrosion resistance for up to 21 days. Higher mineralization (or apatite for-
mation) has been observed on WEDMed samples, which directly affects the amount of Mg ions released into
the SBF solution; thus, weight loss was higher in the WEDMed sample than the polished sample. The
weight loss for polished and WEDMed Mg-alloy samples after 21 days of immersion test was 9.3% and
13.5%, respectively. SEM analysis revealed the distinct corrosion morphology among the corroded surface
of polished and WEDMed samples.

have been explored to obtain good mechanical strength and

Keywords apatite formation, corrosion rate, Mg-4Zn, Mg alloy,
surface roughness, wire electrical discharge machining
(WEDM), weight loss
1. Introduction
Magnesium (Mg) alloys are gaining popularity as a
promising material for biodegradable implants, as they have
mechanical properties matching with human bones, are bio-
compatible, stimulate bone recovery, and are fully degradable
in the human body (Ref 1-4). Mg and its alloys, that have a low
density (1.74-2.0 g/cm3) and YoungÕs modulus (41–45 GPa),
exhibit similar features to that of human bone and possess good
mechanical strength (100-250 MPa) that makes it more readily
acceptable for implant applications (Ref 5). But high corrosion
rate (CR) of Mg alloy in the electrochemical environment is a
significant hindrance in the successful development of
biodegradable implants as it loses the sufficient mechanical
strength required for support of biomedical implants (Ref 6, 7).
In recent times, several Mg alloy compositions (such as Mg-Zn,
Mg-Zn-Ca, Mg-Zn-Mn, Mg-Gd-Zn-Zr-Mn, Mg-Nd-Y, etc.)
Randeep Singh Gill and Kamal Kumar, Department of Mechanical
Engineering, Punjab Engineering College (Deemed to be University),
Chandigarh 160012, India; and Uma Batra, Department of
Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, Punjab Engineering
College (Deemed to be University), Chandigarh 160012, India.
Contact e-mail: kamaljangra84@gmail.com.
controlled degradation rate (Ref 8-15). In addition to the new
alloy composition development, various surface coatings (Ref
16-18) have also been adopted as the major strategies to control
the initial rapid corrosion rate that protects the implant from
premature failure before complete bone healing (Ref 19).
WEDM, also called wire electric spark erosion process,
modifies the surface characteristics by creating overlapped
craters and oxides on the processed surface that can be
advantageous for Mg alloy in improved corrosion resistance
(Ref 20-22). In WEDM, repeated electrical sparks occur
between the work material and a continuous traveling thin
wire electrode that melts and erodes the work material (Ref 23).
Out of the total heat generated between the spark gap, only a
fraction of the generated heat is transferred to the workpiece
that melts and evaporates the material; because of rapid heating
and quenching effect due to short spark-on time and (spark)-off
time, the surface modification occurs (Ref 24, 25). The surface
modification consists of variable size craters, re-solidification of
melted materials (also called recast layer), heat affected zone,
micro-cracks, micropores, etc. (Ref 25-27). This modified
surface may further affect the wear behavior, fatigue life, and
CR of metallic materials (Ref 28-32). The surface damage as a
result of this surface modification can be reduced or controlled
efficiently by using trim-cutting operations in WEDM where
the machined surface can be obtained with low surface
roughness, low crack density, and uniform microstructure
depending upon the discharge parameters and wire electrode
offset value (Ref 25-27).
In recent years, researchers have attempted to investigate the
WEDM process for Mg-based alloys and composites. Some of

Journal of Materials Engineering and Performance

these studies have been reported on parametric optimization of essential input parameters of the WEDM process, namely
WEDM for Mg-composites. Sheth et al. (Ref 33) optimized the spark-on time (Ton), spark-off time (Toff), and servo voltage
input parameters of WEDM for SR of Mg-Zn-RE-Zr alloy (SV), has been evaluated on SR and CR of Mg-4Zn alloy.
using a passive vehicle search algorithm. Vijayabhaskar et al. Corresponding to minimum SR and CR values, an optimal set
(Ref 34) conducted an experimental study to optimize the of WEDM parameters has been selected based on which Mg-
WEDM parameters for material removal rate (MRR) and 4Zn samples were prepared to study the corrosion behavior
surface roughness (SR) of nano-SiC particle reinforced Mg- compared to the polished Mg-4Zn samples. The corrosion
metal matrix composite (MMC) using response surface study of WEDMed and polished Mg-4Zn alloy was conducted
methodology and desirability approach. Kavimani et al. (Ref in terms of electrochemical polarization, apatite formation, and
35) investigated the WEDM process for graphene-SiC-magne- weight loss for 21 days.
sium composite and optimized the parameters for MRR and SR
using a hybrid approach. Razak et al. (Ref 36) reported that the
spark-on time (Ton) produces the most significant influence,
followed by spark-off time (Toff), affecting the SR values of 2. Experimental Procedures
AZ31 in the EDM process.
Few studies (Ref 28, 31, 32) have reported WEDM 2.1 Material Development
processingÕs influence on fatigue behavior, corrosion rate, and
Pure Mg is highly electronegative in nature and, therefore,
Mg alloysÕ biocompatibility. Daud et al. (Ref 28) reported that
corrodes at a fast rate. The addition of zinc (Zn) enhances the
the WEDMed AZ61 specimenÕs fatigue limit is 20 MPa lower
mechanical strength and reduces the corrosion rate and H2
than the polished specimen, relating its occurrence to the pits
evolution in Mg alloy (Ref 17, 38). Also, Zn is an essential
on the WEDMed surface that initiated the fatigue crack. Yue
nutrient for human beings. But the addition of more than 6% of
et al. (Ref 32) investigated the surface quality and corrosion
Zn in Mg alloy results in enhanced corrosion, which may
resistance of Mg-composite under four different machining
damage the stomachÕs cell lining. Therefore, in the current
processes, namely single point diamond turning, WEDM,
work, biodegradable binary Mg alloy with 4% Zn has been
grinding, and polishing operations. It was reported that the
developed under argon and SF6 gas atmosphere (in the ratio of
quality of the machined surface significantly influences the
90:10) in a crucible using a resistance heating furnace. After
corrosion behavior of ZM51/SiC MMC. Klocke et al. (Ref 31)
machining, cuboid samples were prepared, which were further
conducted the MTT tests (for 6, 24, and 48 hours) to measure
rolled to reduce the thickness in the ratio of 1:10 to a thickness
the lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) level of the cell culture on
of 20 mm sheet by multiple passes. For microstructure analysis,
WE43 Mg alloy machined through die-sinking EDM and wire
small size cuboidal samples of dimension 2092094 mm were
EDM process. The rough-cut sample showed reduced cell
polished, followed by ultrasonic cleaning and drying. Using an
viability and continued with corrosion progression; however,
etching agent solution of 5 ml HF, 20 ml nitric acid, 20 ml HCl,
tissue damage could not be observed in any of the tests. Gill
and 60ml water, Mg-4Zn samples were etched. Fig. 1(a), (b)
et al. (Ref 37) reported EDM micro-drillingÕs influence on
shows the optical microscopic image and XRF analysis of
apatite growth and weight loss of AZ31 alloy in SBF solution.
polished Mg-4Zn alloy, respectively. The developed Mg alloyÕs
EDM micro-drilling altered the surface geometry by creating
chemical constituents were determined as; Zn: 3.51%, Mg:
new cylindrical surfaces, increasing the mineralization process
96%, respectively.
(or apatite growth) and weight loss.
2.1.1 Mechanical Characterization of Mg-4Zn. The
Some studies (Ref 21, 22, 38) have reported that EDM or
developed Mg-4Zn alloy was mechanically characterized using
WEDM processing develops a protective layer on Mg alloy
a computerized hydraulically controlled Universal Testing
surface that improves its corrosion resistance. Shufa et al. (Ref
Machine (manufactured by HIECO India Ltd. with max. rating
22) examined the metamorphic layer formation after micro-
25 KN) with a strain rate of 0.01 mm/s room temperature. For
EDM that showed improved corrosion resistance on Mg-RE
mechanical characterization, the WEDM process was utilized to
alloy. Xu et al. (Ref 38) observed the high surface roughness,
shape the small samples according to the ASTM E8, E9, and
micro-pits, and micro-cracks on the WEDMed surface that
E290 for tensile, compression, and bending tests. The prepared
decreases with increase in the power tube numbers in the pulse
samples were polished before mechanically testing. Fig. 2(a-d)
generator. Energy-dispersive x-ray (EDX) analysis confirmed
shows the setups for the tensile, compressive, and three-point
the formation of a carbonaceous layer on AZ91D alloy having
bend test. Table 1 summarizes the physical and mechanical
better corrosion resistance and excellent adhesion strength.
properties measured for Mg-4Zn alloy.
Kavimani et al. (Ref 21) also confirmed the formation of an
oxide layer on Mg-MMC analyzed using SEM micrograph and
2.2 Selection of WEDM Parameters
XRD of WEDMed sample.
In the past years, numerous studies have been conducted on For a given work material, WEDM input parameters,
WEDM for various high strength-high heat-resisting metallic namely spark-on time (Ton), spark-off time (Toff), discharge
and ceramic materials (Ref 39-45). Still, minimal studies are current (Ip), and servo voltage (SV), are vital parameters as the
available that provide insight into the behavior of Mg alloys. spark energy largely depends on these parameters. In the
For establishing WEDM as an important fabrication route for present experimental work, five-axis CNC WEDM (Ecocut-
the design and development of bone implants, the need to model, Electronica India) with a soft brass wire electrode (Ø
explore the influence of WEDM on surface integrity and 250lm) at a feed rate of 5 m/min has been used. Also, for the
degradation behavior of Mg alloys is immense. Because of this, experimental work on WEDM, Ip was fixed, whereas three
the influence of the WEDM process on surface properties and significant parameters, namely Ton, Toff, and SV, were taken as
degradation behavior of Mg-4Zn alloy has been explored in the input variables as given in Table 2. Based on the trial
present work. Using TaguchiÕs L9 orthogonal array, the effect of experimentation and previous investigation (Ref 20), the lower

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Fig. 1. a Microstructure and b XRF analysis of polished Mg-4%Zn alloy
Fig. 2. a Prepared sample for tensile test and setup for b tensile test c compressive test d three-point bend test
Table 1 Summary of physical and mechanical properties
Density, g/cm3 Micro-hardness, HV Yield strength, MPa
1.8 76 153
and upper limits of three input variables were decided. Ton and
ToffÕs values are controllable in terms of machine units (mu),
whereas the actual values of Ton and Toff in ls are mentioned
in the conversion table given in Annexure-A. Distilled water as
a dielectric (conductivity 10 lS/cm) at flushing pressure of 10
liters per minute has been used. Fig. 3 shows the schematic
representation of the WEDM setup.
Using the Taguchi method, orthogonal arrays (OA) are
utilized to conduct limited experimentation to analyze WEDM
input parametersÕ influence on the response variable. The
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UTS, MPa Compressive strength, MPa Bending strength, MPa
265 281 250
selection of suitable OA is affected by the number of input
parameters and their total degree of freedom (DOF). DOF
associated with each input parameter is given by number of
levels-1. For selecting the OA, the DOF for the OA should be
greater than or at least equal to that of the total DOF
associated with all the process parameters. In the present case,
the DOF of each parameter is equal to 2; therefore, the total
DOF associated with three process parameters is equal to 6.
Thus, an L9 OA having DOF equal to 8 has been considered
in the present case.
2.3 Measurement of Response Characteristics rate of 0.01V/s, and a step potential of 0.01 V. EIS was
performed with OCP with 10mV rms in the frequency range of
WEDM parameters influence response characteristics; SR
105 Hz-0.01 Hz (50 data points). The SBF was prepared
and CR of Mg-4Zn have been investigated by cutting the
according to Kokubo et al. (Ref 47), and the ion concentrations
material in the cuboidal shape of size 20mm 9 20mm 9 4mm
in the SBF solution was 142.0 Na+, 5.0 K+, 1.5 Mg2+, 2.5 Ca2+,
for each experimental setting. The SR values (in terms of Ra
147.8 Cl, 4.2 HCO3, 1.0 HPO4, and 0.5 SO42mM, being
value) were measured using Surftest on the machined surface at
close to those in human blood plasma (Ref 17).
five different locations, and an average of five measurements
Immersion tests were conducted in SBF on WEDMed
was taken. Using FE-SEM, machined samples were also
samples (machined at optimal parameters) and polished sam-
analyzed for surface craters, micro-pits, and micro-cracks
ples of Mg-4Zn, to analyze the apatite formation and weight
developed on the surface.
loss over a prolonged period of 21 days. To determine the
The corrosion rate of Mg-4Zn samples was measured (in
elements dissolved in the apatite developed on the Mg-4Zn
mm/year) using Tafel plots after exposure of Mg-4Zn in SBF at
surface, energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) analysis was
24 hours. Metrohm Autolab 302N Potentiostat with the
conducted after immersion tests.
standard three-electrode cell configuration having Ag/AgClas
as a reference, graphite as a counter, and Mg-4Zn sample as the
working electrode was used. The surface area of samples
exposed to the SBF medium was 1cm2. The SBF solution with 3. Results and Discussions
a pH value of 7.4 was selected as an electrolyte maintained at
room temperature for 30 minutes to stabilize open circuit 3.1 WEDM Parametric Effect on Surface Characteristics
potential (OCP). The potentiodynamic polarization study was and Corrosion Rate
carried out in the potential range of 0.9V to +3.5V at a scan
The experimental design as per the L9 OA and measured SR
and CR values for each experimental trial for the present
Table 2 WEDM input variable parameters and their experimentation is shown in Table 3. The influence of WEDM
associated levels parameters, including the effect of each level of parameters on
SR and CR, has been explained using the response graphs for
Levels SR and CR, generated using the Taguchi method as shown in
Fig. 4(a-b). The response graphs were generated by sorting SR
Symbol WEDM parameters Units 1 2 3
and CRÕs mean values corresponding to each level of the
A Spark-on time (Ton) mu 103 107 111 WEDM input parameter in each column of the orthogonal array
B Spark-off time (Toff) mu 42 48 54 and taking an average on those with the same level. This can be
C Servo voltage (SV) V 20 25 30 explained for the average effect of parameters TON and TOFF at
level 1 on mean SR; calculated as follows:

Fig. 3. Schematic representation of WEDM

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Table 3 Experimental design and measured value of SR and CR
WEDM parameters Response characteristics

Exp. No. Trial order TON (mu) TOFF (mu) SV (V) SR (ls) CR (mm/year)

1 2 103 42 20 3.44 13.66

2 5 103 48 25 2.90 6.58
3 7 103 54 30 2.30 3.25
4 1 107 42 25 4.25 21.51
5 8 107 48 30 3.65 16.04
6 9 107 54 20 3.10 12.84
7 4 111 42 30 4.90 29.54
8 3 111 48 20 4.30 19.71

Fig. 4. Mean response graphs showing the effect of WEDM parameters for a SR b CR

ðTON Þ1 ¼ ð3:44 þ 2:90 þ 2:30Þ=3 ¼ 2:880;
ðTOFF Þ1 ¼ ð3:44 þ 4:25 þ 4:90Þ=3 ¼ 4:197
Results show that the influence of WEDM parameters is
significant toward altering the surface roughness and corrosion
rate of Mg alloy. Fig. 4(a) shows that SR increases with
increasing Ton and decreases with an increase in Toff value.
The crater geometry characterizes surface roughness, i.e., the
diameter of craters produced by the successive sparks (Ref 20,
46), which depends on the discharge energy supplied across the
electrodes generating the charged particles and striking the
metal surface to convert their kinetic energy into localized heat
energy required for melting (Ref 48). High discharge energy
causes large-sized vapor bubble formation, which expands and
collapses under the electric field, resulting in large-sized craters.
Larger the crater, the higher the surface roughness. Increasing
Ton increases the release of spark energy across the electrodes
and, consequently, brings high melting and material evapora-
tion following Eq 1.
Available heat energyðHe Þ ¼ available discharge energyðDe Þ
¼ V:I:Ton
ðEq 1Þ
where I is the current flowing and V is the breakdown voltage
across the spark gap.
Increasing Toff builds up the time gap between two back to
back sparks, thus reducing the spark energy per unit time,
which further reduces the melting; moreover, increasing Toff
makes easy flushing of eroded material, thus reducing the
surface roughness (Ref 46). Increasing SV widens the spark
gap between the wire electrode and the work material. Thus, a
reduction in the density of localized ions in the spark gap
resulting in reduced heat generation and surface roughness. In
the present case, SV has not produced any noticeable effect on
SR.
In all nine experimental trials, exp. (3) gives minimum
surface roughness with negligible numbers of pores and cracks
(Fig. 5b), which is due to lower value of Ton (104) and higher
value of Toff (54), whereas due to the increased discharge
frequency (as Toff reduces to 42), exp. 1 results in increased SR
and more numbers of micropores, as shown in Fig. 5(a). Ton
(111)Õs higher value results in high melting and evaporation of
Mg alloy, causing large-sized crater formations, as shown in
Fig. 5(c-d). Due to the dielectricÕs immediate cooling effect,
quenching of Mg alloy causes large-size cracks and pore
formation on the machined surface.
The corrosion rate is dependent on the surface morphology
of Mg alloy. The variation in Ton, Toff, and SV affects the
discharge energy across the electrodes, affecting the melting
and flushing of Mg alloy, thus influences the corrosion rate as
shown in Fig. 4(b). Fig. 6(a, b) shows that the transverse side of
the machined samples corresponds to the exp. 1 and 7,

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Fig. 5. a-d shows the surface morphology of the machined surface corresponds to the experiment no. 1, 3, 7, and 9, respectively

Fig. 6. Thermal damage on machined surface

respectively, clearly revealing the thermal damage affecting the highest corresponding to exp. no. 7 resulting in the highest
surface and subsurface properties of the machined surface. The corrosion rate.
density of micro-cracks, micropores, and oxides on the Analysis of variance (ANOVA) on the measured values of
machined surface of Mg-4Zn (as shown in Fig. 7) is the SR and CR (as given in Table 4) reveals that the spark-on time

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Fig. 7. Micro-cracks and oxide formation on machined surface of Mg-4Zn

Table 4 Analysis of variance for SR and CR

SR CR

Source DF Adj SS Adj MS F-value P value Source DF Adj SS Adj MS F-value P value

TON 2 3.31902 1.65951 989.11 0.001 TON 2 248.815 124.408 25.88 0.037
TOFF 2 1.80602 0.90301 538.22 0.002 TOFF 2 230.481 115.241 23.97 0.040
SV 2 0.00936 0.00468 2.79 0.264 SV 2 14.388 7.194 1.50 0.401
Error 2 0.00336 0.00168 Error 2 9.614 4.807
Total 8 5.13776 Total 8 503.299

(TON) and spark-off time (TOFF) are highly significant WEDM
parameters (p value < 0.05) affecting both SR and CR of Mg-
4Zn alloy. In contrast, SV is nonsignificant in present
experimental work.
Surface roughness affects the osteoblast activities and the
rapid adsorption of biologically active molecules (such as
proteins) and osteoprogenitor cells on Mg alloy that would
regenerate the tissue (Ref 1). In the present experimentation, SR
values for WEDMed Mg-4Zn alloy vary over a range of
2.15lm to 4.9lm. High surface roughness increases the
corrosion susceptibility in ionic solution; therefore, the WEDM
parametric combination yields minimum surface roughness,
and the lower corrosion rate is desirable for Mg alloys.
Therefore, in the present experimentation, a combination of
WEDM parameters corresponds to TON: 103(mu), TOFF:
54(mu), and SV: 30 V yields the best results (SR; 2.30lm;
CR: 3.25 mm/year).
Table 5 shows the description of samples prepared for
electrochemical polarization and immersion study. Mg-4Zn
samples were prepared, corresponding to the optimal WEDM
parameters given in the exp. no. 3.
3.2 Electrochemical Corrosion Study
Electrochemical polarization tests were conducted on
WEDMed, and polished Mg-4Zn samples (as described in
Table 5) were exposed to SBF solution maintained at room
temperature for 21 days. Fig. 8, 9 represents the linear
polarization curve for WEDMed and polished Mg-4Zn alloy
samples obtained at 1, 7, 14, and 21 days.
Table 5 Mg-4Zn samples prepared for degradation study
Mg-4Zn samples Symbol SR, lm
WEDMed at optimal parameters A 2.30
Polished after WEDM B 0.14
The corrosion potential (Ecorr) and corrosion current
density (Icorr) are the essential corrosion parameters in
electrochemical polarization study. The values of these param-
eters over the different time periods were obtained using the
Tafel extrapolation method, as listed in Table 6. Using the
measured corrosion parameters and Eq 2, the corrosion rate
(CR) is also quantitatively calculated, as listed in Table 6.
3:268  103  icorr  Mw
C:R: ¼ ðEq 2Þ
qZ
where MW is the molecular weight of specimen ( 24.3
g/mole), q is the density of the alloy (1.8 g/m3), and Z; 2is the
number of electrons transferred in the corrosion reaction.
WEDMed sample showed a higher corrosion rate than the
polished surface, mainly due to the micro-cracks and micro-
pores present on the machined surface that accelerated the
corrosion rate. Fig. 10 shows that the polished and WEDMed
sampleÕs corrosion rate increases with an exposure time of 7
days; beyond this period, it decreases with further immersion
period. It may be because the ion exchange takes place

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Fig. 8. Linear polarization curve for WEDMed Mg-4Zn

Fig. 9. Linear polarization curve for polished Mg-4Zn

Table 6 The corrosion parameters obtained by using Tafel extrapolation method

Mg-4Zn samples Days Ecorr, V/AgCl Icorr., lA cm-2 Corrosion rate, mm/year

A 1 1.179 80 1.81
7 1.0034 1198 27.2
14 1.1904 583 13.2
21 1.1814 532 12.08
B 1 1.329 147 3.33
7 1.4386 284 6.45
14 1.4524 59.5 1.35
21 1.4227 36.2 0.82

continuously for up to 7 days and the corrosion product formed
on the Mg-4Zn surface did not protect the surface completely
from further corrosion; it suggests that the corrosion product is
porous that allows an exchange of electrolytic ions to reach the
Mg alloy/corrosion product interface. Further decrease in CR
with immersion time beyond 7 days suggests that the corrosion
product gets compact, thereby slowing down ion exchange to
cause a smaller number of ions reaching the metal/corrosion
product interface to continue electrochemical corrosion.

Journal of Materials Engineering and Performance

3.3 Immersion Testing Elemental dispersion spectroscopy (EDS) analysis of cleaned
and dried WEDMed sample shows Ca, P, Na, Zn, and Mg as
3.3.1 Apatite Formation and Weight Loss Measure-
the significant elements in apatite deposits, as shown in Fig. 12.
ment. Polished and WEDMed, Mg-4Zn alloy samples (of
Mg dissolves in SBF solution and attracts the mineralization
size 2092094mm) were immersed in the SBF solution kept in
on work surface through anodic dissolution, thus, loses the Mg
the incubator at 37C, and the apatite formation and weight loss
ions into SBF solution, thereby losing their weight with
were analyzed at 7, 14, and 21 days of immersion period. It can
increasing dissolution period as mentioned in Table 7. In the
be observed from a microscopic image given in Fig. 11 that
present case, the mineralization is higher for the WEDMed
WEDMed samples show higher apatite formation as compared
sample; thus, weight loss is also higher in Sample A. Fig. 13
to polished samples. The increased micro-surface asperities
gives the graphical representation of weight loss for sample
favor this high apatite formation on WEDMed samples.
types A and B in SBF solution over the period of 21 days,
which shows that the WEDMed sample has 13.5% weight loss
as compared to 9.3% weight loss in the polished sample.
Figure 14(a, b) shows the SEM images of corroded
WEDMed and polished samples after 14 days of immersion.
The corroded surfaceÕs Closer examination revealed corrosion
cracking with a non-uniform corrosion pattern on the WEDMed
surface, whereas the polished surface shows more uniform
corrosion. The micro-cracks and surface pores act as micro-
galvanic cells on the Mg-4Zn alloy surface, resulting in
accelerated degradation in the WEDMed sample.

4. Conclusions

In the present experimental study, the influence of WEDM, a

spark erosion machining process, has been investigated on
surface characteristics and corrosion behavior of in-house
developed biodegradable Mg-4Zn alloy. The major findings of
the current work are summarized as:
Fig. 10. Corrosion rate of polished and WEDMed Mg-4Zn at
different time duration

Fig. 11. Apatite formation on Mg-4Zn; a WEDMed sample and b polished samples at (i) 7 days, (ii) 14 days, and (iii) 21 days

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Fig. 12. a SEM showing the mineralized surface b EDS analysis of minerals deposited on Mg-4Zn

Table 7 Weight loss during immersion test in SBF solution

Initial After 7 After 14 After 21 Weight loss after 7 Weight loss after 14 Weight loss after 21
Sample weight days days days days days days

Grams %
WEDMed 2.88 2.7 2.58 2.49 6.34 10.42 13.5
(A)
Polished (B) 2.88 2.76 2.68 2.61 4.16 6.94 9.3

• Electrochemical polarization study for WEDMed and pol-

Fig. 13. Percentage weight loss in Mg-4Zn alloy during immersion
study
• TaguchiÕs L9 OA was utilized to study the influence of the
WEDM processÕs important parameters, namely Ton, Toff,
and SV, on SR and CR. Results showed that the values of
SR and CR both increase with increasing Ton and
decreasing Toff values. Ton is the most influencing param-
eter followed by Toff toward SR and CR of Mg-4Zn al-
loy, whereas SV was nonsignificant.
• SEM analysis shows that the WEDMed Mg-alloy samples
machined at higher discharge parameters (higher Ton va-
lue) resulted in large-sized micro-cracks and micropores.
In contrast, WEDMed sample machined correspond to
low discharge parameters, resulted in a smooth surface
with lesser defects.
• Corresponding to the minimum value of SR and CR, the
optimal value of WEDM parameters was selected as Ton:
103 mu, Toff: 54mu, SV: 30 V, wire feed rate: 5m/min.
ished sample, over the period of 21 days, showed that cor-
rosion rate increases up to 7 days of immersion period
and beyond that corrosion rate decreases due to the forma-
tion of a protective layer due to the mineralization pro-
cess.
• The corrosion rate is marginally better for the WEDMed
sample at 24 hours, whereas CR remained at the lower
side for a polished sample for 7, 14, and 21 days of
observations.
• Immersion study reveals that mineralization or apatite for-
mation is higher in the WEDMed sample, whereas the
polished sample shows negligible apatite formation. EDS
spectra showed that the Mg, Ca, Na, P, and Zn are the
major apatite elements. This fact makes the WEDM pro-
cess more attractive for the bone regeneration process in
Mg alloys.
• The polished sample showed 9.3% weight loss after 21
days of immersion in SBF, whereas the WEDMed sample
showed 13.5% weight loss, which is marginally higher.
The polished sample showed uniform corrosion morphol-
ogy, whereas the WEDMed sample showed a non-uniform
corroded surface having distinct crack patterns.
The degradation rate of Mg alloys can be controlled in WEDM
processing, using optimized trim-cutting operation, which
reduces the surface cracks and roughness values of Mg alloys.
To strengthen the WEDM processÕ capabilities toward
biodegradable implant applications in future works, WEDM
can be explored to evaluate the hydrogen evolution rate,
toxicity, and osteoblast activities for newly developed Mg
alloys.

Journal of Materials Engineering and Performance

Fig. 14. SEM images of Mg-4Zn after immersion at 14 days a WEDMed and b polished Mg-4Zn sample

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