Hot Deformation Behavior and Processing Map Development for Biodegradable Mg–1Zn–0.2Ca Alloy

Articles in Press

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors
M. Kamrava 1
A. Najafi 1
Y. Mazaheri 1
E. Bagherpour 2
M. Reihanian 3
R.Z. Valiev 4
R. Ebrahimi 1
1 Department of Materials Science and Engineering, School of Engineering, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran
2 Brunel Centre for Advanced Solidification Technology (BCAST), Brunel University of London, Uxbridge, UB8 3PH, UK
3 Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Ahvaz, Iran
4 Institute of Physics of Advanced Materials, Ufa University of Science and Technology, Ufa, 450076, Russia
10.22055/jacm.2026.49819.6267
Abstract
The hot deformation behavior and workability of an extruded biodegradable Mg–1Zn–0.2Ca alloy (initial grain size 25.7 µm) were investigated by isothermal compression at temperatures of 200–400 °C and strain rates of 0.001–1 s-1. The flow stress decreased with increasing temperature and increased with increasing strain rate, and pronounced late-stage stress losses at low temperatures were associated, at least partly, with specimen cracking. Processing maps were developed at true strains of 0.3, 0.5, and 0.7 using the dynamic materials model, with the unstable domain defined as the union of the regions predicted by two flow-instability criteria for a conservative assessment. At a true strain of 0.7, the power dissipation efficiency reached a maximum of about 0.46 at approximately 360–370 °C and 0.005–0.01 s-1, and a broader stable domain was identified at approximately 340–380 °C and 0.001–0.1 s-1. The maps evolved non-monotonically with strain. Cracking occurred at all strain rates at 200 °C, at 0.1–1 s-1 at 240 °C, and at 1 s-1 at 280 °C, but not at 320–400 °C. Optical microscopy showed that the crack at 200 °C followed an inclined path of localized deformation, that a fine, uniform microstructure formed at the efficiency maximum, and that localized deformation bands developed without cracking at 360 °C and 1 s-1, where instability was predicted. The results establish a hot-working window for the extruded alloy, based on single tests per condition, and provide guidance for optimizing its thermomechanical processing.
Keywords
Mg&ndash
Zn&ndash
Ca alloy
Hot deformation
Processing map
Deformation instability
Cracking
Subjects

Publisher’s Note Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

[1] Han, H.-S., Loffredo, S., Jun, I., Edwards, J., Kim, Y.-C., Seok, H.-K., Witte, F., Mantovani, D., Glyn-Jones, S., Current status and outlook on the clinical translation of biodegradable metals, Materials Today, 23, 2019, 57–71.
[2] Zheng, Y.F., Gu, X.N., Witte, F., Biodegradable metals, Materials Science and Engineering: R: Reports, 77, 2014, 1–34.
[3] Vinogradov, A., Merson, E., Myagkikh, P., Linderov, M., Brilevsky, A., Merson, D., Attaining high functional performance in biodegradable Mg-alloys: an overview of challenges and prospects for the Mg-Zn-Ca system, Materials, 16(3), 2023, 1324.
[4] Roh, H.-J., Park, J., Lee, S.-H., Kim, D.-H., Lee, G.-C., Jeon, H., Chae, M., Lee, K.-S., Sun, J.-Y., Lee, D.-H., Optimization of the clinically approved Mg-Zn alloy system through the addition of Ca, Biomaterials Research, 26(1), 2022, 41.
[5] Pulido-González, N., Torres, B., García-Rodríguez, S., Rodrigo, P., Bonache, V., Hidalgo-Manrique, P., Mohedano, M., Rams, J., Mg–1Zn–1Ca alloy for biomedical applications. Influence of the secondary phases on the mechanical and corrosion behaviour, Journal of Alloys and Compounds, 831, 2020, 154735.
[6] Lu, Y., Bradshaw, A., Chiu, Y.-L., Jones, I., Effects of secondary phase and grain size on the corrosion of biodegradable Mg–Zn–Ca alloys, Materials Science and Engineering: C, 48, 2015, 480–486.
[7] Wang, H., Jia, W., Ma, L., Huang, Z., Zhang, J., Ning, F., Lei, J., Fracture behavior of AZ31 magnesium alloy under continuously variable stress triaxiality, Engineering Failure Analysis, 169, 2025, 109177.
[8] Jaimin, A., Kotkunde, N., Singh, S.K., Suresh, K., Damage models for forming limit prediction of AZ31B alloy: An experimental and simulation-based approach, Engineering Failure Analysis, 170, 2025, 109314.
[9] Wang, X., Zhang, H., Dong, X., A ductile fracture model for AZ31B considering current parameters in electrically-assisted forming process, Engineering Failure Analysis, 129, 2021, 105681.
[10] Zhang, B., Wang, Y., Geng, L., Lu, C., Effects of calcium on texture and mechanical properties of hot-extruded Mg–Zn–Ca alloys, Materials Science and Engineering: A, 539, 2012, 56–60.
[11] Ma, D., Yuan, S., Luan, S., Jin, P., Hu, H., Wang, J., Li, X., Hot deformation behavior, microstructure evolution and slip system of Mg-2Zn-0.5 Mn-0.2 Ca alloy, Journal of Materials Research and Technology, 21, 2022, 1643–1654.
[12] Shah, S., Liu, M., Khan, A., Ahmad, F., Chaudry, U.M., Khan, M.Y., Abdullah, M., Xu, S., Peng, Z., Recrystallization aspects and factors affecting their roles in Mg alloys: A comprehensive review, Journal of Magnesium and Alloys, 13(5), 2025, 1879–1914.
[13] Rao, K.P., Prasad, Y.V.R.K., Dharmendra, C., Suresh, K., Hort, N., Dieringa, H., Review on Hot Working Behavior and Strength of Calcium‐Containing Magnesium Alloys, Advanced Engineering Materials, 20(9), 2018, 1701102.
[14] Rao, K.P., Suresh, K., Prasad, Y.V.R.K., Dharmendra, C., Hort, N., Dieringa, H., High temperature strength and hot working technology for as-cast Mg–1Zn–1Ca (ZX11) alloy, Metals, 7(10), 2017, 405.
[15] Hradilová, M., Montheillet, F., Fraczkiewicz, A., Desrayaud, C., Lejcek, P., Effect of Ca-addition on dynamic recrystallization of Mg–Zn alloy during hot deformation, Materials Science and Engineering: A, 580, 2013, 217–226.
[16] Papillon, J., Salero, P., Mercier, F., Fabrègue, D., Maire, É., Compressive deformation behavior of dendritic Mg–Ca (–Zn) alloys at high temperature, Materials Science and Engineering: A, 763, 2019, 138180.
[17] Zareian, Z., Emamy, M., Malekan, M., Mirzadeh, H., Kim, W., Bahmani, A., Tailoring the mechanical properties of Mg–Zn magnesium alloy by calcium addition and hot extrusion process, Materials Science and Engineering: A, 774, 2020, 138929.
[18] Zheng, H., Yu, L., Lyu, S., You, C., Chen, M., Insight into the role and mechanism of nano MgO on the hot compressive deformation behavior of Mg-Zn-Ca alloys, Metals, 10(10), 2020, 1357.
[19] Najafi, A., Reihanian, M., Bagherpour, E., Mendis, C., Mazaheri, Y., Botkin, A., Valiev, R., Ebrahimi, R., Tailoring microstructure and mechanical behavior of Mg-1Zn-0.2 Ca alloy through Hot Extrusion with a Cosine-Profile Die, Materials Today Communications, 49, 2025, 113832.
[20] Razavi, S.A., Mirabdolazimi, N., Ebrahimi, R., Modeling Static Recrystallization during Non-Isothermal Heating in Biomedical Mg-1Zn-0.2 Ca Magnesium Alloy Based on Isothermal Kinetic Data, Results in Engineering, 28, 2025, 107663.
[21] Mirabdolazimi, N., Reihanian, M., Bagherpour, E., Mendis, C., Rezvani, A., Valiev, R., Ebrahimi, R., Annealing-induced hardening in an ultrafine-grained Mg–Zn–Ca alloy processed by high pressure torsion, Journal of Materials Research and Technology, 42, 2026, 6742-6755.
[22] Prasad, Y., Gegel, H., Doraivelu, S., Malas, J., Morgan, J., Lark, K., Barker, D., Modeling of dynamic material behavior in hot deformation: Forging of Ti-6242, Metallurgical Transactions A, 15(10), 1984, 1883–1892.
[23] Prasad, Y., Seshacharyulu, T., Modelling of hot deformation for microstructural control, International Materials Reviews, 43(6), 1998, 243–258.
[24] Jedrasiak, P., Shercliff, H., Finite element analysis of small-scale hot compression testing, Journal of Materials Science & Technology, 76, 2021, 174–188.
[25] Li, Y., Onodera, E., Matsumoto, H., Yamanaka, K. Chiba, A., Compensation for friction and temperature increase due to adiabatic heating during hot compression testing and construction of a processing map of biomedical Co–29Cr–6Mo–0.16N alloy, Journal of the Japan Society for Technology of Plasticity, 51(590), 2010, 221–226.
[26] Qin, Y.-J., Pan, Q.-L., He, Y.-B., Li, W.-B., Liu, X.-Y., Fan, X., Modeling of flow stress for magnesium alloy during hot deformation, Materials Science and Engineering: A, 527(10-11), 2010, 2790–2797.
[27] Wu, G.-C., Lin, Y., Zhou, Y., Long, J.-C., He, D.-G., Interphase boundary engineering for microstructure control and processing optimization in hot working of dual-phase Ti alloys, Materials Science and Engineering: A, 2026, 150838.
[28] Zhang, S., Lin, Y., Ling, Y.-H., He, D.-G., Chen, M.-S., Wan, M., Wu, G.-C., Zeng, N.-F., Zhang, H.-J., Naseri, M., Modeling flow behaviors and microstructure evolution of Ti55511 alloy during the double-stage hot deformation process utilizing machine learning algorithm, Metals and Materials International, 32(3), 2026, 874–894.
[29] Chen, Z.-J., Lin, Y., Zhang, S., Zhu, J.-C., Zeng, N.-F., Wu, G.-C., Yang, Q.-M., A continuum-field-enabled multiscale framework coupling crystal plasticity and cellular automaton for discontinuous dynamic recrystallization: Application to a nickel-based superalloy, Journal of Alloys and Compounds, 2026, 188264.
[30] Eskandari, H., Reihanian, M., Alavi Zaree, S., An analysis of efficiency parameter and its modifications utilized for development of processing maps, Iranian Journal of Materials Forming, 10(4), 2023, 45–51.
[31] Ebrahimi, R., Najafizadeh, A., Optimization of hot workability in ti-if steel by using the processing map, International Journal of ISSI, 1(1), 2004, 1–7.
[32] Murty, S.N., Rao, B.N., On the development of instability criteria during hotworking with reference to IN 718, Materials Science and Engineering: A, 254(1-2), 1998, 76–82.
[33] Narayana Murty, S., Nageswara Rao, B., Kashyap, B., Instability criteria for hot deformation of materials, International Materials Reviews, 45(1), 2000, 15–26.
Journal of Applied and Computational Mechanics

Articles in Press, Corrected Proof
Available Online from 11 October 2026