By changing the microstructure in magnesium alloys, Mohsen Esmaily, researcher in Atmospheric Corrosion at Chalmers University of Technology, has succeeded in improving possibilities for the transport sector to use these materials to decrease the weight of vehicles.
Magnesium is the lightest construction metal, but also the most reactive. This means that it is very sensitive to corrosion, i.e. it very easily reacts with its surroundings and rusts. This makes it difficult to use magnesium in corrosive environments, which means that the potential to use magnesium in cars to make them lighter is limited.
For more than a hundred years, magnesium producers have worked hard to improve the corrosion characteristics by developing new, more corrosion- resistant alloys, and also by developing various coatings. Mohsen Esmaily’s research shows a completely new way to improve the corrosion resistance of the alloys by manipulating the microstructure of the material, thereby increasing possibilities to lower the weight of vehicles.
Magnesium is also very brittle. To read more, click here.