Magnesium Rod: The Emerging Role Of Future Metals In Various Industries A New Trend To Watch

By Author: Ben
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Introduction to Magnesium Rod

Magnesium is the lightest structural metal and the eighth most abundant element in the earth's crust. It has a hexagonal close-packed crystal structure and is more ductile than other lightweight metals like aluminum and titanium while offering higher strength-to-weight ratios. Due to its unique properties, magnesium and its alloys are finding increased applications across a wide range of industries from automotive and aerospace to electronics and 3D printing.

Physical Properties

Magnesium Rod has a density of 1.74 g/cm3 which is lower than commonly used metals like aluminum, titanium and steel. It is one-third lighter than aluminum and two-thirds lighter than steel. This makes it an ideal material for applications where weight needs to be reduced. Magnesium also has high specific strength meaning it can support heavy loads relative to its own weight. It has good thermal conductivity, six times better than aluminum. However, its strength decreases with an increase in temperature.

Magnesium also has high electrical conductivity, 60% of that of copper. This property increases ...
... its applicability in various electrical and electronics components. Its reflectivity also makes it a preferred material for mirrors in optics. It is non-toxic and friendly to the human body and environment, hence finds uses even in biodegradable implants. Overall, the combination of light weight, high specific strength and other physical properties make magnesium attractive for structural as well as functional applications.

Mechanical Properties

The tensile strength of commercially pure magnesium ranges between 200-400 MPa while its yield strength varies from 150-300 MPa based on processing and thermomechanical treatment. By adding various alloying elements like aluminum, zinc, manganese and rare earth metals, the strength and ductility of magnesium alloys can be further improved. For example, AZ91D magnesium alloy has a tensile strength close to 300 MPa with 8-10% elongation.

Magnesium also exhibits good creep resistance up to 200°C. Above this temperature, its creep strength degrades rapidly. At room temperature, its fatigue strength is around 100-150 MPa. However, this also depends on factors like surface condition, processing route and microstructure of the alloy. The fatigue endurance limit is usually 40-60% of the ultimate tensile strength of the material. Overall, the good mechanical properties, especially high strength-to-weight ratio makes magnesium suitable for applications involving load bearing and cyclic loading.

Processing of Magnesium Rod

Pure magnesium can be processed by techniques like die-casting, sand casting and permanent mold casting to produce near-net shape components with complex geometries. It can also be machined, cold forged, rolled or extruded into wrought products if in the form of ingots or billets. However, the main challenge with magnesium processing arises from its high chemical reactivity and tendency to oxidize rapidly at elevated temperatures. This necessitates the use of protective atmospheres during melting and casting.

Common gas mixtures used are SF6, CO2 and fluxes like chloride salts that form a protective layer on the surface. Fine-grain microstructures can be achieved through solidification under protective gas atmospheres or melt filtration to remove inclusions. Various thermomechanical processes can additionally enhance the mechanical properties through grain refinement. Powder metallurgy is also gaining popularity for net-shape manufacturing of magnesium components with intricate 3D designs. Overall, development of advanced processing techniques continues to expand the applications scope of magnesium alloys.

Corrosion Behavior

Unprotected magnesium corrodes quickly in the atmosphere due to formation of a porous and non-protective magnesium hydroxide layer. Its corrosion resistance needs to be improved for structural and functional applications. Common methods to protect magnesium include chromate conversion coatings, anodizing, paint coatings, and rare earth treatments. Alloying with aluminum provides the best corrosion resistance among magnesium alloys since it forms a tightly adherent and protective oxide layer of Mg and Al.

Zinc is also effective in increasing the corrosion resistance when present in amounts less than 3%. Heat treatment and thermomechanical processing strengthen the oxide film and reduce the corrosion rate. Cathodic protection through application of external voltage is also implemented at times. Overall, proper selection of alloy composition and adequate surface treatments enable the use of magnesium in moderately corrosive environments. Further research continues on developing new corrosion resistant magnesium alloys and coatings.

Applications

In the automotive industry, the use of magnesium is growing rapidly for powertrain, chassis and body components due to its weight reduction capability. Common automotive applications include instrument panel beams, seat frames, bumper beams, steering wheels etc. In aerospace, it is replacing aluminum and steel in structural applications like aircraft seats, space frames and luggage containers.

In Summary, electronics is another key area utilizing magnesium for housings of cellular phones, laptops and tablets due to the electrical conductivity and damping properties. Sports goods manufacture extensively use magnesium alloys for equipment like tennis racquets, bicycle frames and golf clubs. Other niche applications exist in industrial machinery, 3D printing, biomedical implants and energy storage due to the light weight and mechanical properties. Continuous innovations will help realize the full potential of magnesium technologies across diverse

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