Click here to sign in with or
by National Institute for Materials Science
A research team at NIMS and Nagaoka University of Technology developed high strength magnesium sheet metal that has excellent formability comparable to that of the aluminum sheet metal currently used in body panels of some automobiles. The alloy uses only common metals, and is expect to be a low-cost light weight sheet metal for automotive applications.
Magnesium alloys are roughly 75% lighter than steels and 33% lighter than aluminum alloys and their usage as structural materials in automotive bodies is expected to be effective in weight reduction for better fuel efficiency. However, virtually no magnesium alloys are used in automotive bodies because of their high processing cost originating from the poor formability and low strength of magnesium sheet metals.
The research team recently developed a new age-hardenable magnesium alloy: Mg-1.1Al-0.3Ca-0.2Mn-0.3Zn (numbers indicate constituent elements by atomic percentage), named AXMZ1000. The newly developed alloy has excellent room temperature formability comparable to that of medium strength aluminum alloys that are used in some automobile bodies. In addition, the new alloy is 1.5 to 2.0 times stronger than the aluminum alloy. The excellent formability was achieved by adding very small amounts of zinc (Zn) and manganese (Mn), which led to the formation of fine grain structures, and the high strength was accomplished by adding aluminum (Al) and calcium (Ca), which induced the strengthening of the alloy by the formation of atomic clusters.
The newly developed alloy is composed of only common metals, so the material cost is not expensive. Also, it can be rolled into sheets using simple processes and heat treatments commonly used for aluminum alloys. The newly developed alloy overcomes the long-standing issues for magnesium alloys—namely, low strength and poor room temperature formability. As the processing cost of the new material is expected to be low, there is good potential for practical applications in automotive bodies or casing of notebook computers and cell phones for their weight reduction.
This study was conducted as a part of the JST Advanced Low Carbon Technology Research and Development Program (ALCA).
This study was published in Scripta Materialia on June 16, 2017. Explore further Development of new rolling process for improving room-temperature formability of damping magnesium alloy sheets More information: M.Z. Bian et al. A heat-treatable Mg–Al–Ca–Mn–Zn sheet alloy with good room temperature formability, Scripta Materialia (2017). DOI: 10.1016/j.scriptamat.2017.05.034 Journal information: Scripta Materialia
Provided by National Institute for Materials Science Citation: New light weight metal as formable as aluminum sheet metal with 1.5 times higher strength (2017, July 24) retrieved 23 July 2022 from https://phys.org/news/2017-07-weight-metal-formable-aluminum-sheet.html This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.More from Physics Forums | Science Articles, Homework Help, Discussion
Use this form if you have come across a typo, inaccuracy or would like to send an edit request for the content on this page. For general inquiries, please use our contact form. For general feedback, use the public comments section below (please adhere to guidelines).
Please select the most appropriate category to facilitate processing of your request
Thank you for taking time to provide your feedback to the editors.
Your feedback is important to us. However, we do not guarantee individual replies due to the high volume of messages.
Your email address is used only to let the recipient know who sent the email. Neither your address nor the recipient's address will be used for any other purpose. The information you enter will appear in your e-mail message and is not retained by Phys.org in any form.
Get weekly and/or daily updates delivered to your inbox. You can unsubscribe at any time and we'll never share your details to third parties.
Medical research advances and health news
The latest engineering, electronics and technology advances
The most comprehensive sci-tech news coverage on the web
This site uses cookies to assist with navigation, analyse your use of our services, collect data for ads personalisation and provide content from third parties. By using our site, you acknowledge that you have read and understand our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.