Malaviya National Institute of Technology

Metallurgical and Materials Engineering Department

A Presentation on
Magnesium and its Alloy
Application In
Automotive and Biodegradable Materials
Guided By
Dr. S. K.
Gupta

Submitted By:
Vishvendra Pratap
Singh

Objectives
To

study the basic properties of

Magnesium.

Application

of Magnesium Alloy in
transport vehicles i.e. automotive.

Application

of
Mg
Alloy
biodegradable implants.

as

Overview of Magnesium And its

properties

Symbol- Mg
Atomic Number- 12, Atomic Weight- 24.31
Eighth most abundant element.
Mg ions have high solubility in water so 0.13 %
present in sea water.
Have HCP structure. (a = 0.3202, c = 0.5199, c/a
= 1.624)
Silvery white appearance
Lowest density and the highest machinability
among engineering metals.
Shielding against electromagnetic wave, vibration
damping, dent resistance, good machinability, low
toxicity in human being.
Ores are Dolomite(CaMg(CO3)2 ),
Magnesite
(MgCO3) and Carnalite (KMgCl3.6H2O).

Melting of Magnesium
Magnesium

having 650 oC melting temperature

usually melted in mild steel crucible.

Problems during Melting

Highly

reactive to oxygen so it readily burn in air.

Oxidation is also one of the major problem.

Solution to problem
Using

fluxes containing mixture of CaF2, MgF2,

and MgO to excludes air.
SF6 protection which lowers oxidation melt losses

Designation System of magnesium

Alloy
Code
Letter

Alloying
Element

Aluminum

Bismuth

Copper

Cadmium

Rare Earth

Iron

Zirconium

Lithium

Manganese

Nickel

Lead

Silver

Antimony

Zinc

Example AM60:- Mg-6Al-0.3Mn

AE42:- Mg-4Al-2RE
AS21:- Mg-2Al-1Si

Magnesium Alloy in Automotive

Industry
Steering Wheel

Tailgate inner door pane

Steering hanger
bear

Inner doorframe

Cylinder head cover

Intake Manifold

Transmission case Seat frame

Comparison Of Material
Properties
Property

Magnesium

Aluminum

Iron

Crystal
Structure

HCP

FCC

BCC

Density at
20C(g/cc)

1.74

2.70

7.86

Coeff. of
Thermal
Expansion,
(*10^6/C)

25.2

23.6

11.7

Elastic
Modulus(10^6
psi)

6.4

10

30

Melting point
(C)

650

660

1536

Why Magnesium alloy is used in

automotive??
Natural

Resources & Energy agency stated

that Passenger transport accounted for 60%
of total energy consumption.
As the conventional energy sources are
limited, new material are to be used in
industry to reduce energy consumption.
A reduction of 100 kg in net load lead to
saving of 0.5L/100km.
Reduction in 2000kg of Carbon Dioxide in
mean life of automobile.
A reduction of 7% of total weight is
obtained by using Mg alloy.

Advantages offered by Mg
Alloys
Low

cost
Good insulation (sound and thermal)
Impact safety
Deformation strength
Recyclability (up to 99% recyclable,
which reduces the cost with
transportation and good for environment)
Superior corrosion performance (by
coating)
Good vibration damping capacity

Recent Application
Examples

Magnesium Sheet Automotive

Recent Survey by
Agencies
Canadian
governments
Lightweight

Materials
Innovation Strategy stated that reducing vehicle weight
is the most cost-effective way to cut CO2 emissions and
lower energy consumption in the transportation industry.

U.S.
Department
of
Energys
Advanced
Lightweight Materials for Automotive(2008)
reports that magnesium alloy applications in the
automotive industry receive the second highest
funding level among automotive materials
researched by national labs, universities and
industry.

High Temperature Magnesium

Alloy
Mainly contains rare earth metals.
Primarily used for aerospace applications due to light
weight(major consideration).
Application range 200-250oC with tensile strength ~240
MPa.
Mg-Ag-RE alloys
QE22 has been used for aerospace applications, i.e.,
landing wheels, gear box housings.
Mg-Y-RE alloys
WE43 has been developed for improved elevated
temperature tensile properties.

Mg-Ag-Th-RE-Zr alloys
Thorium is best known to improve high temperature
properties, due to age hardening and refined grain but
slightly radioactive not commercially available

Creep in Magnesium Die casting

Alloy

Magnesium as a Biodegradable
Material In Medical Implants
Whats a biomaterial?
Any substance or drugs, of synthetic or
natural origin, which can be used for any
period alone or as part of a system and that
increases or replaces any tissue, organ or
function of the body.
Biocompatible material features: Absence of carcinogenicity
Absence of immunogenicity
Absence of teratogenicity
Absence of toxicity

Problems caused by
permanent implants

Physical irritations
Chronic inflammatory local reactions
Thrombogenicity and long term endothelial
dysfunction (for cardiovascular
applications)
Inability to adapt to growth
Not allowed or disadvantageous after surgery
Stress shielding, corrosion, accumulation of
metal in tissues (for internal
fixation applications)
Repeat surgery necessary

Main Advantages
High

biocompatibility (Mg is present

into the body and then recognized as a
not foreign element)
Alloys elements are dissolved into
human body during the degradation
process Not toxic risk
Not visible by X-ray and not seen by CT
or MRI Do not cause any artifacts.

Main Disadvantages
Too

high corrosion rate (Ex: Mg stents

corrode quickly both in vivo than in vitro
after ~ 1 month).
Degradation occurs before the end of
healing process.
How to adjust this ??
By alloy and surface treatment or By
mechanical pre-processing to affect bio
corrosion resistance.

Application in Human
Body
Orthopedic

devices

1)
Pins
11) Rods
111) Screws
1V) Tacks
Cardiovascular applications
1) Stents

Thank you