4865

Journal of Applied Sciences Research, 8(9): 4865-4875, 2012

ISSN 1819-544X
This is a refereed journal and all articles are professionally screened and reviewed

ORIGINAL ARTICLES

Magnesium and Aluminum Alloys in Automotive Industry

Musfirah A.H, Jaharah A.G
Department of Mechanical and Material Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, Universiti
Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia.
ABSTRACT
Todays interest is focusing on growing demand for more fuel-efficient vehicles to reduce energy
consumption and air pollution which become a challenge for the current automotive industry. Driven by this
requirement, researchers had done many researches to find a suitable material that fulfill the requirement for
automotive parts. In this paper, general application of magnesium and aluminum alloys in automotive industry is
presented, especially about the material properties, machinability and cost comparison of these alloys. In
addition, the current and potential automotive applications of magnesium are reviewed, and the technical
challenges for these applications are also discussed. Based on the previous studies, it was found that the
magnesium has several advantages over aluminum in terms of manufacturability due to its mechanical and
physical properties. Revolutions to reduce the average fuel consumption have nowadays revived the interest in
magnesium. Furthermore, the application of magnesium alloys in automotive has witness the developments and
successful application of these alloys in automotive component such as steering wheels, steering column parts,
instrument panels, seats, gearboxes and air intake systems. Future developments include a potential application
for car body, cylinder blocks and engine block. Through the reviews done, aluminum alloys are found widely
used but market for magnesium alloys for automotive application is predicted to rise and will rapidly increasing
in the near future.
Key words: Aluminum alloys, Automotive industry, Machinability, Magnesium alloys, Material properties
Introduction
Most of the metal castings have traditionally been cast iron. However, with a greater emphasis on
increasing the efficiency of the engine via weight reduction, manufacturers have began to look for alternative
alloys that are lighter than cast iron, which lead the industry to move to aluminum alloys and other nonferrous
alloys, such as magnesium which they believe can retaining the necessary strength to withstand the same forces
as cast iron (Schifo and Radia, 2004; Nguyen, 2005). The weight of a car influences fuel consumption and
performance, with more weight resulting in increased fuel consumption and decreased performance. According
to a research conducted by Julian Allwood of the University of Cambridge, global energy use could be heavily
reduced by using lighter cars, and an average weight of 500 kg has been said to be well achievable (Knight,
2011). A rule of thumb is that 10% weight reduction approximately equals a 5.5% improvement in fuel
economy (Cole et al., 1997) Reducing the automotive weights by a certain amount will result in a similar
percentage of improvement in fuel economy as seen in Fig. 1.
As a result of more stringent requirements for improved fuel economy and emissions, there is a growing
trend to substitute aluminum and magnesium for conventional steel and cast irons in vehicles (Cole and
Sherman, 1995). After steel and cast iron, automotive manufacturer have turned their interest into aluminum
usage in automotive applications where this has grown more than 80% in the past 15 years (Miller, 2000). The
characteristic properties of aluminum, high strength stiffness to weight ratio, good formability, good corrosion
resistance, and recycling potential has making it the ideal candidate to replace heavier materials in automotive
industry. Most of aluminum is used for car parts such as cylinder heads, pistons, radiators, cars body and wheel
rims. It was been reported that one kilogram of aluminum, used to replace heavier materials in a car or light
truck, has the potential to eliminate 20kg of CO2 over the lifetime of the vehicle
(http://www.worldaluminium.org, 2012).

Corresponding Author: Musfirah A.H., Department of Mechanical and Material Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and
Built Environment, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia.
E-mail: m_7sky1685@yahoo.com

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J. Appl. Sci. Res., 8(9): 4865-4875, 2012

Fig. 1: The relation between vehicle mass and fuel consumption (Eliezer et al., 1998)
As a demand for light weight automotive is increasing day by day, manufacturers are start looking for
lighter material than aluminum. In early 1990s, automobile industry has began to invest in magnesium material
where they found is the lightest of all the commonly used metals and thus, make it very attractive for application
in transportation (Eliezer et al., 1998; Froes, 1997; Cole, 2012; McLean, 1995,1996,1998; Mordike and Kainer,
1998) . With a weight approximately 30% lighter than aluminum and 60% lighter than steel, magnesium proved
that it is the lightest of the structural metals (Steve, 2009). Magnesium alloys offer excellent combinations of
mechanical and physical properties, such as high specific strength, high damping capacity, good castability and
excellent electromagnetic shielding properties. Table 1 compares physical properties between magnesium,
aluminum, and iron.
Table 1: Comparison of Material Properties (Davies, 2003)
Property
Magnesium
Crystal structure
hcp
Density at 20C (g/cc) Coefficient of Thermal
1.74
Expansion, 20-100C
( 106/C)
25.2
Elastic Modulus (106 psi)
6.4
Melting Point (C)
650

Aluminum
FCC
2.7

Iron
Bcc
7.86

23.6
10
660

11.7
30
1,536

Magnesium parts has been used for racing cars in 1920s, but magnesium castings were not extensively
used in commercial vehicle until in 1936 when the Volkswagen first time apply magnesium on its Beetle model,
which used 22 kg magnesium in each car of this model (Friedrich and Schumann, 2001). In the other hand,
Porsche was the first one worked with a magnesium engine in 1928 (Schumann, 2005). Early nineties have
witness the interest and use of magnesium especially in North America when the used increased again due to
new regulations of petrol consumption (CAFE), and this scenario was lead the various automotive companies to
continue with magnesium parts in various vehicles likes VW Polo, Passat and Golf, Porsche 911 and 928,
Daimler Benz, Renault 18 Turbo, Chrysler Jeep and light truck vehicles, Ford light trucks (Bolstad, 1995;
Blawert et al., 2004).
This paper presents how the mechanical properties of magnesium and aluminum alloys suit the automotive
applications, cost comparison of each alloy, machinability and theirs applications in automotive industry.
Applications Magnesium And Aluminum Alloys In Automotive Industry:
Automotive industry is currently gearing up to improve the performance and fuel economy at the same time
can reduce the cost of their products. As this industry is riding on innovation, magnesium and aluminum alloys
have become the key materials in achieving a new era of lighter, more efficient vehicles. Magnesium as we
know is more lighter than aluminum and its offers the best solution for fuel cells, hybrids and internal
combustion engines. Recently, magnesium improves fuel economy by reducing power train mass in replacing
aluminum. However, magnesium does not have the creep resistance of aluminum, and therefore it is unlikely to
be used for the two most massive and critical housings in the engine: the block and the head. The list of parts
that are currently produced of magnesium alloys or potentially could be produced is given in Table 6.

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J. Appl. Sci. Res., 8(9): 4865-4875, 2012

Table 6: Current and potential application of magnesium alloys in vehicle parts (Eliezer et al.,1998; Schumann, 2005; Blawert et al., 2004;
Das, 2003; Dieringa and Kainer, 2007; Brown, 2007)
Engine and transmission
(drive train) parts
Interior parts
Chassis components
Body components
Gear box
Steering wheel cores
Road wheels
Cast components:
Intake manifold
Seat components, rear seat
Suspension arms
Inner bolt lid section
Crankcase
Instrument panel
Engine cradle
Cast door inner
Cylinder head cover
Steering column components
Rear support
Cast A/B pillars
Oil pump housing
Brake and clutch pedal brackets
Tailgate (AM50)
Sheet components
Oil sump
Air bag retainer
Extruded components
Transfer case
Door inner (AM50)
Support (AZ91D)
Cover (AZ91D)
Engine block
Front cover
Engine cradle

The market for automotive magnesium and aluminum parts have grown rapidly, where nearly 15% per year
during the 1990s for magnesium and more than 80% of growth in the past 5 years for aluminum, and these
growths are expected to continue as new applications are keep developing (Miller et al., 2000; Das, 2003). As
technology burst up, the material for engine blocks, which is one of the heavier parts, is being study to switch
from aluminum to magnesium resulting in significant weight reduction. The Commonwealth Scientific and
Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), has done a research on a new low-pressure/sand-cast magnesium
engine block using new alloy AM-SC1 and they have found that this alloy not only boasts a higher strength-toweight ratio, but also offers higher dampening of noise and vibration than either aluminum or steel (Innovation,
2010). AM-SC1 alloy is 33 percent lighter than aluminum alloy and stronger than its equivalent weight in steel.
This alloy is formulated for sand/permanent mold casting for engine blocks and transmission housings that
require high-strength metal performing at temperatures ranging from 150 200C. Ford, GM, Chrysler, and the
U.S. Department of Energy are helping the Advanced Magnesium Technologies (AMT) of Australia to develop
a lightweight magnesium engine using this new alloy which could result in greenhouse gas emission savings of
2.75 tons over a vehicles life cycle.
In the field of car body application, magnesium is still very limited compared to aluminum. This scenario is
due to cost of aluminum and price stability which remain its biggest impediment for its use in large-scale sheet
applications. Based on previous developments, it has shown that up to 50% weight saving for the body-in-white
(BIW) can be achieved by using aluminum (Miller et al., 2000). However, Volkswagen shows that there is
potential for more wrought magnesium products in the car body by using their 1-Liter-Auto demonstrator.
Researchers have been estimated within the next 8-10 years, the amount of magnesium used in automotive
industry is expected to increase by at least 300%. Currently, magnesium alloy automotive parts are generally
manufactured by casting processes and due to this fact, additional studies are needed on forming processes of
magnesium alloys to expand the usage of magnesium in the automotive industry in the long run.
As can be seen from previous studies, the use of magnesium in automotive industry is still limited
compared to aluminum but magnesium is predicted to rise at a similar rate to that of other metals well into the
new century. In the future, magnesium alloys present great potential and a number of challenges to successful
use in automotive structures; where wrought alloys will become more common and highly produce.
Mechanical Properties of Magnesium And Aluminum Alloys:
Magnesium:
Magnesium alloys possess higher specific strength than aluminum alloys and steels. Specific strength and
specific stiffness of materials and structures are important for the design of weight saving components. Weight
saving is particularly important for automotive bodies, components and other products where energy
consumption and power limitations are a major concern (Tkachenko et al., 2006). The specific strength and
specific stiffness of magnesium are compared with aluminum and iron in Fig. 2. There is little difference
between the specific stiffness between magnesium, aluminum and iron as seen in Fig. 2. The specific stiffness of
aluminum and iron is higher than magnesium only in the ratio of 0.69% and 3.752%, respectively. On the other
hand, the specific strength of magnesium is considerably higher than that of aluminum and iron in the ratio of
14.075% and 67.716%, respectively, as seen from the figure.

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J. Appl. Sci. Res., 8(9): 4865-4875, 2012

Fig. 2: comparison of basic structural properties of magnesium with aluminum and iron (Mustafa, 2008)
Due to its low mechanical strength, pure magnesium must be alloyed with other elements, which confer
improved properties. Alloying magnesium improved its strength, heat resistance and creep resistance. For
example, AZ-based magnesium alloys are well known materials produced by adding aluminum (Al) and zinc
(Zn) to pure magnesium. The right amounts of additives will improve the strength, castability, workability,
corrosion resistance and weldability of these alloys in well-balanced way. Aluminum, manganese and zinc are
the most common alloying elements for room temperature applications, while thorium, cerium and zirconium
(without aluminum) are used for elevated temperature (Elaheh, 2011). Thorium or cerium is added to improve
strength at the temperatures of 260C to 370C.
Mg-Al alloys are one major group among magnesium-based alloys. These alloys strength has been improve
by forming a solid solution where 11.5 atomic percent of aluminum are soluble in the magnesium matrix at
437C (Aghion et al., 2003; Pekguleryuz et al., 2003) . Although this alloy is strong, but they suffer from poor
coherency, and high creep deformation at elevated temperature of >150C for long periods of time, the
supersaturated magnesium solid solution transforms to magnesium matrix with coarsely dispersed Al (g)
precipitates and contributes to grain boundary migration and creep deformation. Besides that Al (g) is also prone
to aging and has poor metallurgical stability, which limited its application in higher temperatures. For
automotive applications it is important that the development of new casting alloys addresses creep resistance
and cost effectiveness. Early developments in improving the creep properties of magnesium were made in the
1960s by Volkswagen where it was based on Mg-Al-Si system (Medraj and Parvez, 2007). These alloys exhibit
marginally improved creep resistance but are difficult to die-cast. Magnesium components are generally in the
form of magnesium alloys. The addition of other alloying elements can strengthen and harden magnesium as
well as alter its chemical reactivity. The common magnesium alloys are shown in Table 2.
Table 2: Common magnesium alloys and their applications (Kuo et al., 2006; Baril et al., 2003; Huang et al., 2006; Garmo et al., 1997)
Alloy designation
Alloying additives
Uses
Basic properties and applications
AZ91
9.0% Al, 0.7%Zn General casting alloy
Good castability, good mechanical properties at T<150C
0.13%Mn
AM60
6.0% Al, 0.15%Mn
High pressure die-casting Greater toughness and ductility than AZ91, slightly lower
alloy
strength. Often preferred for automotive structural
applications
AM50
Mg-Al system
General casting alloy
Good strength, ductility, energy absorption properties and
castability
AE44
Mg-Al-rare
earth General casting alloy
Better creep behaviour and castability than AE42
system
AE42
Mg-4 atomic percent General casting alloy
Low castability, good creep behaviour
Al-2 atomic percent
rare earths
AS41
4.2%Al, 1.0%Si
General casting alloy
Better creep resistance than AZ91 at elevated temperatures
but lower strength
ZE41
4.2%Zn,
1.2%RE, Specialist casting alloy
Rare earth addition improves creep strength at elevated
0.7% Zr
temperatures. Pressure tight.
AZ31
3.0% Al, 1.0Zn, 0.2% Wrought
magnesium Good extrusion alloy
Mn
products
AM20
Mg-Al system
Casting alloy
High ductility, toughness, poor die-castability
MRI 153M
Mg-Al-Ca-Sr System
Casting alloy
For high temperature applications up to 150
MRI 230D
Mg-Al-Ca-Sr System
Casting alloy
For high temperature applications up to190
AS21
Mg-Al-Si system
Casting alloy
For use at temperatures in excess of 120C
AJ62
Mg-Al-Sr system
High pressure die-casting Good thermal and mechanical strength, superior castability,
(HPDC)
corrosion resistance and creep behaviour

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AZ91D alloy is the most common die casting alloy which is used more than 90% of all magnesium die cast
products (Yasuke et al., 2006). Although this alloy has a good combination of mechanical properties, die
castability and corrosion resistance, it has poor creep resistance where it will starts to creep at temperatures
above 100C and has a maximum operating temperature at temperatures above 125oC (Yasuke et al., 2006;
Aghion et al., 2001) . Because of the poor creep resistance, a clear decrease in clamping load at bolted joints has
been addressed. Due to that problem, AZ91D cannot be applied to power train components such as transmission
cases and engine castings where the operating temperature is around 150-175oC. In spite of its lower fatigue
strength, AZ91 has made significant inroads in non-structural and low-temperature components such as
brackets, covers, cases and oil pump housings. To overcome the AZ91 problem, in the late 1980s the
researchers have studies on AE42 alloy where they found that AE42 showed a greater percentage of initial
compressive loads than AZ91D (Aghion et al., 2003, Pekguleryuz et al., 2003). AE42 was developed from nonAl Mg alloys in which rare earth were shown to increase creep resistance by forming fine Mg9RE precipitates
along the grain boundaries (Mercer, 1990). AE42 alloy is thermally and metallurgically stable and resistance to
flow during creep loading. Moreover, it has adequate corrosion resistance, castability and strength (Aghion et
al., 2003, Pekguleryuz et al., 2003; Baril et al., 2003). These characteristics make AE42 (Mg-4 atomic percent
Al-2 atomic percent rare earths) magnesium alloy has better creep resistance with respect to AZ91D and also
has improved creep resistance over the other alloys as seen in Fig. 3.

Fig. 3: Compressive creep of the magnesium alloys at 70 MPa, 150 oC after 200 hrs (Pekguleryuz et al., 2003)
Magnesium- thorium alloys display excellent creep properties at elevated temperature (350C) and having
good castability. However, these alloys have cast disadvantages due to expensive rare earth additions
(Pekguleryuz et al., 2003). The Mg-Al-Sr system is a recently developed alloy for the heat-resistant lightweight
magnesium alloys. BMW has used Mg- Al-Sr system for their manufacturing of die-cast engine blocks
(Bavarian Motor Works, 2007). This system has excellent mechanical properties, good corrosion resistance and
excellent castability. Magnesium alloys with Sr addition have better creep resistance than other alloy systems as
seen in Fig. 3 where they have found that the corrosion resistance of the Mg- Al-Sr alloys is similar to AZ91D
and better than AE42, which indicates that strontium does not have adverse affect on corrosion properties
(Medraj and Parvez, 2007). The addition of Al to Mg alloys provides good fluidity which adversely affects the
creep resistance. Wrought alloys exhibit significantly better combination of strength and ductility compared
with casting alloys. However wrought alloys are currently used to a very limited extent due to a lack of suitable
alloys and some technological restrictions imposed by the hexagonal crystal structure of magnesium (Eliezer,et
al., 1998).
From a technological point of view, developments and new production techniques are needed to improve
mechanical properties, including better creep resistance, enhanced galvanic corrosion behavior, and protective
coatings. As a conclusion, they also should include a resolution of the high speed machining question; better
casting quality; full exploitation of new techniques; decreased product development time, including rapid
prototyping; decreased overall cost; magnesium-compatible and integrated design; and a viable substitute for the
environmentally hostile.

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Aluminum:
Pure aluminum doesnt have a high tensile strength. However, the addition of alloying elements like
manganese, silicon, copper and magnesium can increase the strength properties of aluminum and produce an
alloy with properties tailored to particular applications.
Aluminum alloys have been widely used and become a valuable material in automobile industries because
of its properties such as its lightweight, strength, recyclability, corrosion, resistance, durability, ductility,
formability and conductivity (Automotive & Light Truck Group Sponsors, 2001). The strength and durability of
aluminum alloys vary widely, not only as a result of the components of the specific alloy, but also as a result of
heat treatments and manufacturing processes. Its strength can be adapted to the application required by
modifying the composition of its alloys. Mixed with small amount of other metal, it can provide the strength of
steel, with only one-third of the weight (The Aluminum Association, 2011). Aluminum alloys increase in
strength without loss of ductility. In the other hand, aluminum naturally generates a protective oxide coating and
is highly corrosion resistant. Different types of surface treatment such as anodizing, painting or lacquering can
further improve this property. It is particularly useful for applications where protection and conservation are
required. Due to this unique combination of properties, the variety of applications of aluminum continues to
increase. Table 3 below show typical properties for aluminum that normally been used.
Table 3: Typical properties for aluminum. (http://www.aalco.co.uk, 2012)
Property
Atomic Number
Atomic Weight (g/mol)
Valency
Crystal Structure
Melting Point (C)
Boiling Point (C)
Mean Specific Heat (0-100C) (cal/g.C)
Thermal Conductivity (0-100C) (cal/cms. C)
Co-Efficient of Linear Expansion (0-100C) (x10-6/C)
Electrical Resistivity at 20C (.cm)
Density (g/cm3)
Modulus of Elasticity (GPa)
Poissons Ratio

Value
13
26.98
3
FCC
660.2
2480
0.219
0.57
23.5
2.69
2.6898
68.3
0.34

As aluminum is ductile and has a low melting point and density, it can be processed in a number of ways
when it is in a molten condition. Its ductility allows products of aluminum to be basically formed close to the
end of the products design. Another important property of aluminum alloys are their sensitivity to heat.
Workshop procedures involving heating are complicated by the fact that aluminum, unlike steel, melts without
first glowing red. Forming operations where a blow torch is used therefore require some expertise, since no
visual signs reveal how close the material is to melting. Aluminum alloys, like all structural alloys, also are
subject to internal stresses following heating operations such as welding and casting. The problem with
aluminum alloys in this regard is their low melting point, which make them more susceptible to distortions from
thermally induced stress relief. Controlled stress relief can be done during manufacturing by heat-treating the
parts in an oven, followed by gradual coolingin effect annealing the stresses.
Aluminum and its alloys are divided into two broad classes, castings and wrought (mechanically worked
products). The main groups of aluminum alloys which are the most often used in practice besides technically
pure aluminum are AlMn, AlMg, AlMgMn, AlMgSi, AlZnMg, and AlZnMgCu alloys (Gitter, 2008). These are
wrought alloys which are shaped into products by rolling, extrusion, forging and drawing. Each of the
mentioned groups consists of numerous subgroups, depending on amounts of main and additional alloying
elements, and they have tensile strength values varying in a wide range from 70 to 600 MPa. The tendency with
standard wrought aluminum alloys is to achieve better strength values, which imposes a great challenge for
metallurgists. In this group, there are mainly alloys of AlCuMg and AlZnMgCu type. With the later, the strength
values of over 600 MPa at plane-strain fracture toughness of 30 MPam have been achieved. These alloys are
used for the most demanding purposes like vehicles and airplanes, due to their high strength/weight ratio.
Further improvements are in progress for alloys for sections, rods, tubes (AlMgSi, AlCuMg, free-cutting alloys),
for deep drawing purposes, for heat exchangers, and for wrapping materials. Research efforts to optimize
production processes and properties of alloys will be continued in future, since many of existent alloys are
completely suitable for general use.
One important structural limitation of aluminum alloys is their fatigue strength. Unlike steels, aluminum
alloys have no well-defined fatigue limit, meaning that fatigue failure eventually occurs, under even very small
cyclic loadings. This implies that engineers must assess these loads and design for a fixed life rather than an
infinite life.

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Machinibality:
The term machinability refers to the ease with which a metal can be machined to an acceptable surface
finish (Degamo et al., 2003). In order to assess the machinability of a material basically 4 parameters have to be
taken into consideration which are cutting force, tool life, surface quality and chip formation.
Machining magnesium die casting offers a definite advantage over aluminum because magnesium machines
dry up due to its natural lubricity and rapid heat dissipation. The cutting forces for magnesium alloy are
extremely small if compared to aluminum alloy. The relative power required for machining some common
metals, with magnesium taken as unity, and the typical speeds of machining are shown in Table 4.
Table 4: Relative power required to machine metals (Hallum, 1995)
Metal
Relative Power
Magnesium alloys
1.0
Aluminum alloys
1.8
Cast iron
3.5
Low carbon steel
6.3
Nikel alloys
10.0

Rough cutting speeds, m/min

Up to 1200
75-750
30-90
40-200
20-90

The low power requirements for machining magnesium alloy will permit it to make deep cuts, while
preserving good surface finish, since most finish machining is accomplished in a single pass. High-speed steel
tools will normally last as long on magnesium as carbide tools do on other metals. Carbide tools used to
machine magnesium will normally last 5-10 times longer. Table 5 reflects the comparison of machinability
indexes for magnesium and aluminum alloys.
Table 5: Comparison of machinability indexes for magnesium and aluminum alloys (Magnesium Elektron UK, 2009)
Metal
*Machinability Index
Magnesium
500
Aluminum
300
*B1112 steel = 100

Considerable machining can be eliminated on a number of magnesium castings because the die caster is
able to cast and hold tighter tolerances than with aluminum. A number of die castings are in production today
where the die caster is running 0 draft on cored holes to eliminate machining and holding other cast dimensions
to .001 in. in order to eliminate machining.
The chip shape and microstructure constitute a good indicator of the deformation having occurred during
the machining process. The production of discontinuous chips is recommended, especially for automated
production, where easy-to-manage chip will not stop production. In many cases, magnesium alloys normally
produce well-broken chips, which are easy to handle while for aluminum alloys cases, they are normally based
on cutting parameters and material used. For examples, machined brittle aluminum alloys, such as A356-T0 and
A319-T0, can produce continuous and long chips at low cutting speeds while for more ductile materials, such as
6061-T6 and 7075-T6, can produce discontinuous chips at moderate speeds (Innovation, 2010). Although
magnesium is easy to machine, but it is also a risky business because the small chips and fine dust generated
during cutting are highly flammable and pose a serious fire risk if not properly handled. The use of oil-based
coolants reduces, but doesnt eliminate, the fire risk. In addition, the magnesium particles mixed in oil cant be
recycled, and the machined parts would require extensive cleaning to remove oil residue.
In machining, surface roughness is commonly considered as an important aspect to measure since it has a
great influence on product quality. Decrease of surface roughness quality also leads to decrease of product
quality. Due to this, cutting parameters and coolant condition can play the good factors that give an excellent
surface roughness during machining operation. Kim had done a research on magnesium alloy AZ31B using dry
milling and he has found that surface roughness increases with increasing feed-rate per tooth and increasing
number of inserts in the cutting tool (Kim and Lee, 2010). Besides that, according to Bhowmick, the use of
MQL reduced magnesium adhesion and built-up edge formation, resulting in an increase in tool life as well as
reductions in both average torque and thrust forces (Bhowmick et al, 2010). In the other hand, Dwivedi
conducted a research on LM13 and LM28 cast aluminum alloys and found that heat treatment of LM28 alloy
reduced the surface roughness due to increase in hardness whereas heat treatment of LM13 alloy increased
surface roughness because of ductility is increasing and this cause higher build up edge formation (Dwivedi et
al.,2007).
Therefore, from viewing past literature that published in academic journal, the key factor to have a valuable
advantage of machining magnesium over aluminum is when magnesium is machined in a large amount since
magnesium has excellent machinability and this can reduce manufacturing processes and times. In the other
hand, the chip formations need to keep in large size in order to reduce fire hazard potential and also to avoid
damaging the machine tool components by polluting sensible areas in dry machining condition. Furthermore,
high process temperature leads to a reduced shape and dimension accuracy of the workpiece and a lower surface

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5-4875, 2012

quality. Reecycling of thee chips produceed by wet macchining also creeate another prroblem since th
he chips have to
be cleaned
d first and driedd afterwards to reduce fire dannger risk.
parison:
Cost Comp
m and magnesiium provide uss with a compaarison betweenn both materialls.
Energgy requirementts for aluminum
In term of
o cost compaarison, it is normally inclludes three coomponents: acctual cost off raw materialls,
manufacturring value add
ded, and the coost to design annd test the pro
oduct (Cole andd Sherman, 19995). Looking in
raw materiials cost, magnnesium alloys are
a certainly more costly thann aluminum allloys. However,, to approach thhe
total cost of
o the competittion, they mustt be associated with lower com
mponent in maanufacturing coosts. Due to thaat,
we can com
mpare them byy looking at ecconomic advanntages versus energy
e
requireements for mellting each of thhe
two materiials in the die casting processs. Depending on the application in autom
motive, aluminu
um castings caan
provide 300%-50% mass reduction
r
com
mpared with steel, while magn
nesium castinggs can provide 40%-60% (Alaan
et al., 2010). The size of the die castinng machine reequired to prodduce a magnessium part in many
m
cases givves
magnesium
m a definite cosst advantage ovver aluminum.. Magnesium and
a its alloys arre more cost effective in term
ms
of energy requirements
r
b
based
on their better machinaability, reduceed manufacturinng cycle timess, ability to havve
thinner and
d more variablle wall dimensiions, closer dim
mensional toleerances, reduceed number of assemblies,
a
moore
easily prod
duced to near net
n shape (thuss decreasing finnishing costs),, and less costlly melting/mettal-forming cossts
compared to
t aluminum and
a its alloys (C
Cole and Sherm
man, 1995). Aluminum
A
has tthe advantage over
o
magnesiuum
when com
mparing the usee of steel for melting
m
and holding
h
aluminnum. The meltting of magnessium used to be
b
expensive in the past, butt it can be as economical
e
as m
melting aluminnum for die casst parts with thhe advent of neew
y does not requuire the high sh
hot pressure likke
technologyy. Magnesium, due to its rapiid solidificatioon rate, usually
aluminum does. Cavity filling
f
time on magnesium
m
diee castings is paarticularly critiical; therefore it
i is necessary to
have a macchine capable of
o running a veery fast shot wiith lower shot pressure.
p
Autom
motive parts, su
uch as a brake or a support brracket for the clutch
c
pedal ussed, can be eassily performed in
magnesium
m. Magnesium die casting caan run on a 1600 metric ton by using hot chhamber die cassting machine. A
number off aluminum diee casters have estimated
e
it woould take a 550
0-650 metric toon in cold cham
mber die castinng
o run this part in aluminum. Such part as a brake measurres approximattely 17 in. in leength by 7 in. in
machine to
width. It has
h wall thickn
ness varying frrom 0.100 in. to
t 0.350 in. Th
he part weighss 1.4 lbs. and the die has coore
pulls in thrree directions. If the die casteer is working oout the cost byy using a pricinng formula thatt varies based on
o
the size off the die castinng machine reqquired and the correspondingg capital investtment requiredd to run the paart,
then magnnesium should gain
g
a consideerable cost advantage. Fig. 4 below shows tthe comparisonn graph betweeen
magnesium
m price and aluuminum price.

mparison graphh between mag

gnesium price aand aluminum price
p
(Mining Intelligence & Technology,
Fig. 4: com
20112)
As repported in 2007
7, the price of aluminum perr kg is cheaperr compared to magnesium before
b
year 20004
(http://www
w.lightmetals.oorg, 2007). Buut since 2004 aand onwards, thhere have seenn a dramaticallyy changes wheere
magnesium
m price start to decrease below
w the aluminum
m price. Fig. 4 show that magnesium price keep lower thaan
aluminum price but it is not
n remaining constant comppared to aluminnum. These reaasonable pricess for magnesiuum
he massive usee of magnesium
m in automotivee industry.
will spur th
A studdy made by Orriginal Equipm
ment Manufactuurer (OEM) regarding gear shift bracket wh
hich is normallly
make by aluminum
a
die cast, has prov
ved that manuffacturing cost of this gear shift
s
bracket iss reducing wheen
fabricate using
u
magnesiuum die cast since
s
it can elliminating exteensive machinning required for
f the compleex

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J. Appl. Sci. Res., 8(9): 4865-4875, 2012

geometry and tight tolerances (Mark, 2010). Other than that, magnesium also can be easily shaped by casting
and makes a perfect solution for vehicle interior such as inner dashboard beam where it is reported that the
biggest advantage over aluminum are the reduction in manufacturing time and cost (Angel, 2009).
Overall, a widespread substitution of magnesium in automotive applications will not only be determined by
magnesiums production cost, but by the economics of other competing materials and other considerations such
as system and life cycle estimates that will dictate its overall economic viability in the marketplace.
Conclusion:
From the previous researches that were presented, magnesium alloys show a great potential and a number
of challenges to successful use in automotive structures due to its main benefit of extra weight reduction. As
noted, weight optimization offers the most cost effective means of managing fuel consumption efficiency and
green house gases in the transportation sector. The competition in the market between magnesium and
aluminum for automotive applications is substantial. This is due to the size and value of the market. Many
people still believe that aluminum is the greatest long-term threat to sheet steel but in the more recent years, the
improvements in magnesium alloying and processing techniques will make it possible for the automotive
industry to manufacture lighter, more environmentally friendly, safer, ease of recycle and cheaper cars.
However, the potential application of magnesium profiles is strongly dependent on the question of whether
established forming processes for aluminum and steel can be adopted to magnesium which will lead to a
breakthrough in the use and application of magnesium alloys in the 21st century. Therefore the need for further
research for suitable processes, properties and safer processing technique is required since magnesium has a big
potential to ignite if not handling properly during processing. The current review indicates that most of the
magnesium processing, alloy machinability, and mechanical properties improvement is still needed a further
research to achieve future goals to reduce the vehicle mass and the amount of greenhouse gases. Production and
application technologies must be cost effective for magnesium alloys to make magnesium alloys an
economically viable alternative for the automotive industry if comparing to aluminum alloys.
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