3. Past, current, and potential applications of magnesium

Among metallic materials, aluminum is currently the most widely used lightweight material with a density of 2.7 g/cc. Titanium (Ti) and steels are heavier and are used very strategically in the transportation sector. Being abundantly available with price only marginally higher than that of Al (Table 1), magnesium-based materials are the present emerging materials in multiple sectors after a gap of about 70 years when they were used initially in aerospace and automobile sectors. This is because magnesium offers multidimensional properties which can be harnessed in a

3.1 Structural applications

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.90866

well as shown in Figure 2.

3.1.1 Automotive sector

3.1.2 Aerospace sector

Figure 2.

3

About 40% of magnesium produced globally is directly used in the form of its alloys in structural applications [5] in different sectors described below in text as

Introductory Chapter: An Insight into Fascinating Potential of Magnesium

The first automobile in the world (1885–1886) was made up of steel, a dense alloy, in most of its parts. With increasing efforts to improve fuel efficiency and energy efficiency as well as to reduce the cost of the vehicles, there was a shift from usage of steel to aluminum (owing to its lower density) that substantially reduced the weight of the automobiles. However, in recent years, driven by lower density of magnesium (33% lighter than Al), car manufacturers such as Porsche, Suzuki, and General Motors are increasingly using magnesium-based materials primarily due to their excellent specific mechanical and physical properties. Among several magnesium alloys, Mg-Al-based alloy series such as the AZ and AM alloys; Mg-rare earthbased alloys, i.e., WE43 and E21; and ZK alloys demonstrate good strength and ductility combination at room temperature along with good resistance to corrosion (salt spray) and superior castability [6]. Hence, they are predominantly being used in the automobile sector as sheets or even engine blocks and other automobile components such as in steering wheels, boot area, etc. Further, for robust and elevated temperature applications such as engine blocks, newly developed highstrength magnesium alloys and alloy nanocomposites can be used as they demon-

Historically (in the 1950s), magnesium was a dominant material in the aviation industry as a structural material. In fact, an aircraft (XR56) with all-magnesium was

Potential applications of Mg in (a) aerospace sector in the form of passenger seats (image taken from [25]); (b) biomedical sector where biodegradable magnesium alloy products can be used as implants, assist in fracture fixation, etc. (image taken from [26]); (c) automobile applications (image extracted from [27]); and (d)

electronic applications such as mobile handset panels and casings (image used from [28]).

strate good thermal and dimensional stabilities [7–11].

#### Figure 1.

Factsheet of magnesium.


#### Table 1.

Price of the most commonly used metals.

variety of applications. These applications of magnesium are primarily classified into three categories: (i) structural, (ii) nonstructural, and (iii) miscellaneous applications. They are discussed briefly in this chapter.

Introductory Chapter: An Insight into Fascinating Potential of Magnesium DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.90866
