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This study investigated the simulated body fluid-assisted stress corrosion cracking (SCC) of an Al-free magnesium alloy (RS66) and a common Al-containing magnesium alloy (AZ91), the former being more suitable for temporary implant applications (however, we used AZ91 for comparison since there are considerable reports on SCC in this alloy). The investigation includes SCC tests under simultaneous conditions of mechanical loading and imposed electrochemical potential that established a combined effect of hydrogen and anodic dissolution as the embrittlement mechanism. Though the RS66 alloy possesses impressive mechanical properties in non-corrosive environments (as a result of its fine grain size), both alloys suffered significant embrittlement when tested in simulated body fluid. The susceptibility of the RS66 alloy to SCC was ~25% greater than that of AZ91, which is attributed to the greater resistance of AZ91 to corrosion/localised corrosion because of its Al content.
Raman et al. (Fri,) studied this question.