The Technology
With the increasing awareness to the importance of greenhouse gas emission control, advances in lightweight design with lighter structural materials are sought for. For example a key breakthroughs in the field of Mg alloys was the introduction of rare-earth (RE) alloying elements which drastically increased both mechanical properties and oxidation resistance while reducing their flammability to the point that they are now permitted aboard aircraft passenger cabins. The inferior properties of as cast Mg alloys, requires that many Mg-alloys products will be machined from a bulk raw material, leading to a low bulk to product weight ratio and high production costs.
Experimental techniques and computational procedures are used for microstructural design of next generation steels and Mg alloys, is used to optimize a new processing route, one that will allow casting into a pre-form followed by a thermomechanical treatment and forging to final form, thus significantly reducing manufacturing costs of subtractive production that is currently used.
Advantages
- Lower raw material cost
- Improved mechanical properties
Applications and Opportunities
- Mg alloys and steels for aeronautics, defense and space applications
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