Study of Residual Stresses Distribution Generated from Milling of Magnesium Alloy Parts

Magnesium alloys exhibit a very good ratio of mechanical properties versus specific weight, thus making it an important choice for parts used in automotive, aeronautic and medical industry. The distribution of residual stress in the superficial layer of the material is regarded as one of the factors defining the surface quality of a machined part. It is therefore important to know this distribution as it is closely related to fatigue and corrosion resistance, especially for the parts working in aggressive environments (i.e. biomedical devices). The present paper focuses on the determination of the residual stresses induced in a magnesium alloy part processed by milling, and their effects on surface quality.