Magnesium for light weight?
Magnesium for light weight?
(OP)
Hello,
I am interested in how seriously magnesium is taken as a material for light-weighting. I am trying to find studies that compare mag against steel and also take into account scrap amounts produced during manufacture.
Would be very happy to receive any help
I am interested in how seriously magnesium is taken as a material for light-weighting. I am trying to find studies that compare mag against steel and also take into account scrap amounts produced during manufacture.
Would be very happy to receive any help





RE: Magnesium for light weight?
I've seen it used for the backing structure for automotive instrument panels and pedal-cluster pivot brackets.
The old original VW air-cooled Beetle had magnesium crankcases.
It is only practical to produce magnesium parts by die-casting in a neutral atmosphere, and it's darn near impossible to weld it, because oxygen has to be completely excluded. All magnesium casting fabrication plants require extremely specialized fire protection equipment because magnesium burns under water - it's really hard to put out a magnesium fire. Machining chips are extremely flammable.
My experience with magnesium has been that it's brittle. Never bends (yields in a ductile manner), it just bends up to a certain point (elastic modulus doesn't seem very high) and then goes snap.
RE: Magnesium for light weight?
http://www.intlmag.org/
http://www.spartanlmp.com/
http://www.meridian-mag.com/
http://scholar.google.com/
http://www.scirus.com
http://www.sae.org
Regards,
Cory
Please see FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips Fora.
RE: Magnesium for light weight?
There is a great deal of interest in magnesium, mostly for automotive applications, but also for some aerospace applications. Worldwide usage has increased for over 10 years straight now, with almost all of the increase due to high pressure die castings or thixocast/molded parts for automotive and industrial (housings for power tools, computers, etc.) use. The federal governments in the USA, Canada, Germany, Japan, Australia, and China are all actively supporting research, development, and manufacturing of Mg-related items. I suggest you perform a keyword search for SAE Technical Papers at www.sae.org or visit some of the following websites:
http://www.dsmag.co.il/
http://www.magnesium-elektron.com/
http://www.szmt.de/typo3/index.php?id=29
http://www.am-technologies.com.au/
http://www.thixomat.com/
http://www.intlmag.org/
http://iweb.tms.org/forum/default.aspx?forumid=15
http://www.magnesium.com/w3/
http://magnesium.pnl.gov/
RE: Magnesium for light weight?
In cases where Al has a clear advanatge over steel, you might seem some benefit in going to Mg, for instance if your thin walled castings have a minimum wall thickness set by casting technique rather than a strength or stiffness requirement.
I don't know what the relative energy is to make the material in the first place, and how succesfully it can be recycled.
Cheers
Greg Locock
SIG:Please see FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips.
RE: Magnesium for light weight?
On the older Bell OH 58/206 helicopters, the tail boom was magnesium sheetmetal construction.
I believe the Hughes OH6/500 originally had some magnesium skins.
Beech Bonanzas & Baron series use magnesium skins for the elevators & ailerons to this day.
The minilites on my Lotus are magnesium, and sadly way past their prime, I'm afraid.
RE: Magnesium for light weight?
For bending stiffness limited designs, the material index for minimum mass is E0.5/ρ. Magnesium alloys have a 20 % advantage here.
RE: Magnesium for light weight?
Hey Cory, any mpre information on the economically positive recycling structure?
Thanks again!
RE: Magnesium for light weight?
Cheers
Greg Locock
SIG:Please see FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips.
RE: Magnesium for light weight?
Kyle Chandler
www.chiefengineering.net
RE: Magnesium for light weight?
RE: Magnesium for light weight?
Cheers
Greg Locock
SIG:Please see FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips.
RE: Magnesium for light weight?
My significant other at the time was the (Ford light truck) design group leader for clutches, etc., and we awakened one Sunday morning to the news on the radio that "a plant in SW Michigan is burning furiously, and the fire can't be extinguished..."
Magnesium is a fine material, but its manufacture requires a great deal of another commodity in apparent short supply: common sense.
RE: Magnesium for light weight?
http://www.foxwebsitedesign.co.uk/3.html
Rod
RE: Magnesium for light weight?
Pretty cool parts, thanks for the link.