Magnesium is the lightest of all the metals and the sixth most abundant on Earth. Magnesium is ductile and the most machinable of all the metals. Magnesium alloy developments have traditionally been driven by requirements for lightweight materials to operate under increasingly demanding conditions (magnesium alloy castings, wrought products, powder metallurgy components, office equipment, nuclear applications, flares, sacrificial anodes for the protection of other metals, flash photography and tools). The biggest potential market for magnesium alloys is in the automotive industry. In recent years new magnesium alloys have demonstrated a superior corrosion resistance for aerospace and specialty applications. Considering the information above, special issues on magnesium alloys are exposed in this book: casting technology; surface modification of some special Mg alloys; protective carbon coatings on magnesium alloys; fatigue cracking behaviors of cast magnesium alloys and also, magnesium alloys biocompatibility as degradable implant materials.

Magnesium and magnesium alloys provide unique properties for engineering applications. Magnesium alloys are popular as a structural material because of their combination of light weight and strength. They are desirable for portable tools, appliances, electronic devices, airplanes, space vehicles, and land transportation. This book is written for engineers, scientists, teachers, and students engaged in the design process of material selection and material elimination. While focused on mechanical properties for structural design, the physical properties that are germane to corrosion behavior and electrical applications are represented. Two-thirds of the book is devoted to datasheets for individual alloys which provide a handy quick reference to specific properties and performance. The remainder of the book addresses topics common to all magnesium alloys such as the alloy designation system and product forms. Casting alloys and wrought alloys are compared. The alloy performance at elevated temperature is presented, as are fatigue properties. Finally, a summary of the corrosion behavior of selected alloys is discussed along with how these corrosion mechanisms can be applied for beneficial results.

The use of magnesium alloys is increasing in a range of applications, and their popularity is growing wherever lightweight materials are needed. This book provides a comprehensive account of the corrosion of magnesium alloys. It covers not only the corrosion performances and mechanisms of Mg alloys in conventional environments, such as sodium chloride solutions, but also looks at their corrosion behaviours in special media, like engine coolants and simulated body fluids. Part one covers fundamentals such as the corrosion electrochemistry, activity and passivity of magnesium and its alloys. Part two then considers the metallurgical effect in relation to the corrosion of magnesium alloys, including the role of micro-structure and earth-rare elements, the corrosion behaviour of magnesium-based bulk metallic glasses, and the corrosion of innovative magnesium alloys. Part three goes on to describe environmental influences on the corrosion of magnesium alloys, such as atmospheric corrosion, stress corrosion cracking, creep and fatigue behaviour, and galvanic corrosion. Finally, part four is concerned with various means of protecting magnesium alloys against corrosion through the use of aluminium electrodeposition, conversion and electrophoretic coatings, and anodisation. With its distinguished editor and team of contributors, this book is an invaluable resource for metallurgists, engineers and designers working with magnesium and its alloys, as well as professionals in the aerospace and automotive industries.

The use of lightweight structures across several industries has become inevitable in today’s world given the ever-rising demand for improved fuel economy and resource efficiency. In the automotive industry, composites, reinforced plastics, and lightweight materials, such as aluminum and magnesium are being adopted by many OEMs at increasing rates to reduce vehicle mass and develop efficient new lightweight designs. Automotive weight reduction with high-strength steel is also witnessing major ongoing efforts to design novel damage-controlled forming processes for a new generation of efficient, lightweight steel components. Although great progress has been made over the past decades in understanding the thermomechanical behavior of these materials, their extensive use as lightweight solutions is still limited due to numerous challenges that play a key role in cost competitiveness. Hence, significant research efforts are still required to fully understand the anisotropic material behavior, failure mechanisms, and, most importantly, the interplay between industrial processing, microstructure development, and the resulting properties. This Special Issue reprint book features concise reports on the current status in the field. The topics discussed herein include areas of manufacturing and processing technologies of materials for lightweight applications, innovative microstructure and process design concepts, and advanced characterization techniques combined with modeling of material’s behavior.

Magnesium and magnesium alloys offer a wealth of valuable properties, making them of great interest for use across a wide range of fields. This has led to extensive research focused on understanding the properties of magnesium and how these can be controlled during processing. Fundamentals of magnesium alloy metallurgy presents an authoritative overview of all aspects of magnesium alloy metallurgy, including physical metallurgy, deformation, corrosion and applications.Beginning with an introduction to the primary production of magnesium, the book goes on to discuss physical metallurgy of magnesium and thermodynamic properties of magnesium alloys. Further chapters focus on understanding precipitation processes of magnesium alloys, alloying behaviour of magnesium, and alloy design. The formation, corrosion and surface finishing of magnesium and its alloys are reviewed, before Fundamentals of magnesium alloy metallurgy concludes by exploring applications across a range of fields. Aerospace, automotive and other structural applications of magnesium are considered, followed by magnesium-based metal matrix composites and the use of magnesium in medical applications.With its distinguished editors and international team of expert contributors, Fundamentals of magnesium alloy metallurgy is a comprehensive tool for all those involved in the production and application of magnesium and its alloys, including manufacturers, welders, heat-treatment and coating companies, engineers, metallurgists, researchers, designers and scientists working with these important materials. - Overviews all aspects of magnesium alloy metallurgy - Discusses physical metallurgy of magnesium and thermodynamic properties of magnesium alloys - Reviews the formation, corrosion and surface finishing of magnesium and its alloys

This ASM Handbook is the most comprehensive collection of engineering information on this important structural material published in the last sixty years. Prepared with the cooperation of the International Magnesium Association, it presents the current industrial practices and provides information and data about the properties and performance of magnesium alloys. Materials science and engineering are covered, including processing, properties, and commercial uses.

This important book summarises the wealth of recent research on our understanding of process-property relationships in wrought magnesium alloys and the way this understanding can be used to develop a new generation of alloys for high-performance applications.After an introductory overview of current developments in wrought magnesium alloys, part one reviews fundamental aspects of deformation behaviour. These chapters are the building blocks for the optimisation of processing steps covered in part two, which discusses casting, extrusion, rolling and forging technologies. The concluding chapters cover applications of wrought magnesium alloys in automotive and biomedical engineering.With its distinguished editors, and drawing on the work of leading experts in the field, Advances in wrought magnesium alloys is a standard reference for those researching, manufacturing and using these alloys. - Summarises recent research on our understanding of process-property relationships in wrought magnesium alloys - Discusses the way this understanding can be used to develop a new generation of alloys for high-performance applications - Reviews casting, extrusion, rolling and forging technologies, fundamental aspects of deformation behaviour, and applications of wrought magnesium alloys in automotive and biomedical engineering