S. ANNAMALAI et al.: MAGNESIUM ALLOYS: A REVIEW OF APPLICATIONS
881–890
MAGNESIUM ALLOYS: A REVIEW OF APPLICATIONS
MAGNEZIJEVE ZLITINE: PREGLED UPORABE
Saravanan Annamalai
*
, Suresh Periyakgoundar, Sudharsan Gunasekaran
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Sona College of Technology, Salem, 636 005, India
Prejem rokopisa – received: 2019-03-22; sprejem za objavo – accepted for publication: 2019-07-13
doi:10.17222/mit.2019.065
Reducing the weight of a vehicle is an important factor in fuel economy, addressing basic requirements and customer needs.
Magnesium alloys are promising for automotive, aerospace and medical applications, because of their low density and very
good strength, as well as high bio-compatibility. However, many technical and commercial reasons limit their usage and
applications in automobile components, particularly their low stiffness and poor corrosion performance. Following a brief
review of the latest trends in the utilization of magnesium alloys in the automobile industry, this paper describes all the other
difficulties when using magnesium alloys. A discussion of the manufacturing process, increasing the anti-corrosion properties,
the application of Mg alloys based on a FE analysis and cost is presented. This review leads to the specific development and
better utilization of magnesium alloys.
Keywords: magnesium alloys, application and design, service performance, cost, light weighting
Zmanj{anje mase vozila je pomemben faktor pri optimiziranju porabe goriva glede na zahteve uporabnikov in osnovne okoljske
zahteve. Magnezijeve zlitine so obetaven material za uporabo v avtomobilih, letalih in medicinskih napravah, ker imajo nizko
gostoto, dokaj dobro trdnost in visoko biokompatibilnost. Vendar pa njihovo uporabnost za avtomobilske komponente omejujejo
mnogi razlogi tehni~ne in komercialne narave. Predvsem je to majhna togost in slaba odpornost proti koroziji. V kratkem
pregledu avtorji navajajo najnovej{e trende uporabe magnezijevih zlitin v avtomobilski industriji in vse spremljajo~e te`ave, ki
nastopijo pri njihovi uporabi. V razpravi o procesu njihove izdelave, se avtorji osredoto~ajo na pove~anje njihovih
antikorozijskih lastnosti in uporabo magnezijevih zlitin, z analizo na osnovi kon~nih elementov (FE) in stro{kov. ^lanek naj bi
bil prispevek k dolo~enemu razvoju in bolj{i uporabnosti magnezijevih zlitin.
Klju~ne besede: magnezijeve zlitine, uporaba in dizajn, sposobnost servisiranja, stro{ki, lahka vozila
1 INTRODUCTION
Due to low their density, good specific strength and
superior damping capacity, magnesium alloys have been
used in automotive, aerospace and medical appli-
cations.
1,2
In particular, the wrought magnesium alloy,
from the economic point of view, replaces traditional
metal alloys in load-bearing components in automobile
applications. Also, the magnesium alloy provides large
weight savings compared with aluminum alloys.
3,4
However, the cost of a magnesium alloy has been limited
by its low strength, so the wrought Mg alloy can be used
for better strength because it gives a pronounced grain
refinement without pores and with a uniform com-
position distribution after the elongation process.
5,6
In
recent years, a new generation of bio-gradable metallic
materials like magnesium alloys have been used. This is
also called a revelatory material for biomedical appli-
cations (e.g. as a bone implant material) because of its
reasonable strength and high biocompatibility.
7
Normally, human bone is composed of a matrix
(30 w/%)), minerals (60 w/%) and water (10 %)). Metals
with good compatibility such as platinum, stainless steel
and titanium alloys are traditionally used as implants in
fracture surgeries. Nowadays, magnesium hydroxy-
apatite matrix composites have been used for bone and
tooth materials for the human body. The magnesium is
the lightest material (from 1.74 g/cm
3
to 2.0 g/cm
3
range), being 77 % lighter than steel and 33 % lighter
than aluminum. The material engineer say thanks to the
magnesium alloy because of its great strength-to-weight
ratio. In automotive applications, it shows better per-
formance due to its stiffness, high vibrational absorption
capacity and excellent cutting performance.
8–18
But in
practical applications, while it is subjected to cyclic
structural component usually affected by corrosion
attack, this leads to corrosion fatigue failure under
non-corrosive environments, while fatigue failure occurs
at stress variations below the designed values.
19,20
But the
fatigue strength of Mg alloys is very good in the air, it is
almost satisfactory in industrial standards.
21,22
When
compared with the aluminum corrosion resistance of
modern high-purity magnesium alloys, they are better
than that of conventional aluminum die-cast alloys.
However, it has some mechanical/physical disadvantages
that require a unique design for automobile part appli-
cations.
Vibrations occur when a body is subjected to any
arrangement of forces. In other words, high intensities of
strain, stress and noise are set up in the body as a result
of vibrations. Vibrations in different structures and
different materials occur at different frequencies. If a
Materiali in tehnologije / Materials and technology 53 (2019) 6, 881–890 881
UDK 669.721.5:669.018-049.8 ISSN 1580-2949
Original scientific article/Izvirni znanstveni ~lanek MTAEC9, 53(6)881(2019)
*Corresponding author's e-mail:
ansyssaran@gmail.com (Saravanan Annamalai)

structure vibrates at frequencies higher or closer to the
natural frequency of the component, the vibration may
be exponentially higher. Moreover, it causes failure of
the component. A Mg alloy offers a good specific strength,
high damping capacity and very good energy-absorption
capacity. M Eatson et al.
23
made a comparison analysis
of the energy absorption of Mg alloys with Al alloys and
steel, and finally concluded that the Mg alloy has a better
energy-absorption capacity when compared to Al and
steel. D. Wan et al.
24
investigated the damping capacity
of Mg alloys at both room and elevated temperatures, the
results show that the Mg alloy exhibits good damping
capacity. However, from the perspective of engineering
applications, Mg alloy structures are frequently simul-
taneously subjected to two or more numbers of different
kinds of load, rather than a single load. Z. Ma et al.
25
investigated the elastic-plastic bending properties of the
AZ31b-Mg alloy using the combined load method, and
finally concluded that the Mg alloy could reach a maxi-
mum deflection under different loading condition.
For low-cycle fatigue behavior of Mg alloys in
between solution treated (T4: 540 °C × 10 h) and peak
aged (T6: 540 °C × 10 h + 200 °C × 14 h) NZ30K alloy
(Mg-3Nd-0.02Zn-0.5Zr) produced after the peak aged
treatment exhibits its higher yield stress, ultimate tensile
stress and cyclic hardening than the solutionized alloy,
which is mainly due to the higher matrix strength pro-
vided by the precipitate strengthening.
26
At the same
stress amplitude the T4 treated alloy with higher hys-
teresis energies experienced more fatigue damage than
the T6 treated alloy. For high cycle fatigue behavior of
Mg alloys like hot-rolled AZ31 investigated at high
frequencies (97.3 Hz) with different stress amplitudes
(50 MPa, 60 MPa, 70 MPa, 90 MPa, 110 MPa) for
fatigue test using tension and compression loads at room
temperature.
27
The yield strength is higher than that of
compression. Also, it leads to a catastrophic fracture
after a particular number of cyclic loads, the fatigue
behavior of Mg and its alloys further investigation
should be needed for safety design purposes.
28,29
From the manufacturing point of view, Mg and its
alloys for automotive applications are usually made via
casting. This casting method affords very good design
flexibility and giving part integration there by a low
"system" cost. The process technology for die casting
Mg alloys will be developed and employed for manu-
factured components for automobiles.
30
In the Mg sheet
manufacturing process available for automotive com-
ponents in the way of the elevated temperature forming
process and conventional stamping process, there is
some need for the new primary process (e.g., stamping)
and secondary process (e.g., hemming). Table 1 shows
the application of Mg alloys in the automobile industry.
2 AN OVERVIEW OF Mg ALLOYS
To analyze the properties of Mg alloys it is necessary
to describe the sources, classification, and manufacturing
process and advantages, disadvantages based on
manufacturing process and applications as well as the
mechanical properties and thermal properties.
2.1 Sources and manufacturing process for Mg alloys
Magnesium in an impure state was first obtained by
Davy in 1808. The first commercial production of mag-
nesium occurred in 1866 in Germany using a modified
Bunsen electrolytic cell.
2.1.1 Sources of magnesium
31
The sources from which magnesium is produced in
commercially amounts are:
1. Natural brines – MgCl
2
2. Sea water – MgCl
2`
+ MgSO
4
- Mg – 0.13 %
3. Magnetite – Mg CO
3
–Mg–29%
4. Dolomite – Mg Ca (CO
3
)
2
–Mg13%
5. Brucite – Mg (OH)
2
–Mg42%
2.1.2 Extraction process
The main types of process for the extraction of
metallic magnesium are the following (Figure 1).
The electrolyte method is the cheapest method and it
is used extensively, its only disadvantage is that a cell
feed of high purity is needed. In the thermal reduction
method, it is very easy to operate, but it has some
S. ANNAMALAI et al.: MAGNESIUM ALLOYS: A REVIEW OF APPLICATIONS
882 Materiali in tehnologije / Materials and technology 53 (2019) 6, 881–890
Table 1: Application of Mg alloys in the car industry
S. No Company Part
1 Transmission Casings
Volkswagen, Audi, Mercedes Benz, BMW, Ford, Jaguar, Daewoo, Volvo,
Porsche
2 Instrument Panels GM, Chrysler, Ford (Ranger, Aero Star 1994), Audi, Toyota, Hyundai, Honda
3 Cylinder Head Cover
Dodge, Honda, Alfa Romeo, Daewoo, BMW, Ford, Isuzu, Volvo, Hyundai,
KIA, GM (Corvette)
4 Steering Components Ford, Chrysler (Jeep 1993), Toyota, BMW, Lexus, GM, Hyundai, KIA
5 Seat Frame and Other Components GM, Mercedes Benz, Lexus, Hyundai, KIA
6 Oil pan Ford, Chrysler (LH midsize 1993)
7 Engine Block BMW
8 Wheels/Rims GM, Toyota, Alfa Romeo, Porsche, AG (7.44 kG each), Marti Suzuki
9 Induction Clutch pedal, brake pedal GM (Cover North Star V-8,1992)
10 Miscellaneous components Alfa-Romeo (GTV-45 kG), Porsche (911-53 kG)

economic drawbacks, like high labor and maintenance
costs.
2.2 Classification of Mg, Al and cast iron
The classification of magnesium alloy, aluminum
alloy and cast iron are given in Figures 2a to 2c. Cast
iron comes under ferrous material and Mg and Al alloys
come under non-ferrous materials.
2.3 Manufacturing process
The magnesium alloy, usually produced by gravity
and pressure die casting methods e.g., sand, permanent
and semi-permanent mould and steel and investment
casting. The method of selection of the production of
magnesium alloy is based on many factors, e.g., the
number of castings, type of properties, dimensions,
applications and different types of size and shape. The
AZ series and AM series alloys are manufactured using
the pressure die-casting method. The following advan-
tages and disadvantages were found from the pressure
die-casting methods
2.3.1 Advantages of the pressure die-casting method
• High productivity
• High precision
• High-quality surface
• Fine cast structure
• Thin wall and complex structure possible
• In comparison to aluminum:
• 50 % higher casting rate
• Can use steel ingots, which means a longer life
• Lower heat content, which means energy saving
• Good machinability
• Requires 50% of tooling costs
• High fluidity of melt
2.3.2 Disadvantages of the pressure die-casting method
• Entrapped gas pores as a result of high fill-up rate
and thus solidification
• Thick walls cartable only to a limited degree
• Limited mechanical properties with cheaper die-cast-
ing alloys
• Limited range of alloys available
• Poor creep resistance due to fine grain-size cast
microstructure
• Limited castability (and high cost) of creep resistant
Mg–Al–RE alloys
• Heat treatment not possible
• Unsuitable for welding
2.4 Mechanical and thermal properties of Mg alloys
The density and specific stiffness (weight/deforma-
tion), strength (tensile strength, yield strength, etc.) of
materials are very important factors in the design of
weight-saving components in automobile and aerospace
applications because of fuel consumption, energy
S. ANNAMALAI et al.: MAGNESIUM ALLOYS: A REVIEW OF APPLICATIONS
Materiali in tehnologije / Materials and technology 53 (2019) 6, 881–890 883
Figure 1: Extraction methods for Mg alloy
Figure 2: Materials classification: Mg alloy classification, Al alloy
classification, cast iron classification
Table 2: Properties of Mg, Al and cast iron
32
S. No Property Magnesium alloys Aluminum alloys Cast iron
1 Crystal structure hcp FCC BCC
2 Density(MG/m
3
) 1.74–1.95 2.5–2.9 7.05–7.25
3 Melting temperature T
m
(°C) 447–649 475–677 1130–1250
4 Young’s modulus E (GPa) 42–47 68–82 165–180
5 Yield strength (MPa) 70–400 30–500 215–790
6 Tensile strength (MPa) 185–475 58–550 350–1000
7 Fracture toughness (plane-strain) k
1c
(MPa m) 12–18 22–35 22–54
8 Thermal conductivity (W/m.K) 50-156 76-235 29-44
9 Thermal expansion (10
–6
/°C) 24.6-28 21-24 10-12.5

savings and power limitations. When compared to other
materials like aluminum and iron, the Young’s modulus
and the hardness are lower than aluminum and iron, as
given in Table 1. But it is noted that the thermal
coefficient factor is maximized. It is a very important
factor to overcome the strength and modulus limitations.
From Table 2 and the above issues Mg alloys have
distinct advantages over aluminum. These include better
manufacturability and machinability, and because of the
lower latent heat it gives faster solidification and a longer
die life.
Because of its low mechanical strength, the pure
magnesium alloy should be alloyed with some other
elements, which gives better mechanical properties. For
enhancing mechanical properties many commercial
wrought Mg alloy systems have been developed, like the
AZ, ZK and WE system.
33,34
In China they are forming a
large-scale industry to manufacture Mg alloy sheets in
mass production. From previous research they are
developing Mg alloy strengths and a new alloy system,
and they are making, strengthening the grain refinement,
precipitation and texture effects. Y. Kawamura et al.
35
produced a high-strength Mg alloy (Mg-Y-Zn) by rapidly
solidified powder metallurgy that exhibits very good
mechanical properties with a high range of tensile yield
stress (TYS) of 610 MPa and an elongation of 5 %. Also,
the Mg alloy (Mg-8Gd-5Y-2Zn-0.6-Mn) that is extruded
at 400 °C and aged at 200 °C gives a TYS of 322 MPa
and a UTS of 500 MPa.
36
2.4.1 Advantages and disadvantages of magnesium
alloys
The advantages and disadvantages of magnesium
alloys over conventional alloys like stain steel,
aluminum, titanium, polymers and natural fibers are
given below.
2.4.2 Advantages of magnesium alloys are listed below
• Lowest density of all metallic constructional mate-
rials
• Due to less density, it gives maximum acceleration
• High specific strength
• Good castability, suitable for high-pressure die cast-
ing
• Can be turned and milled at high speed
• Good weldability under a controlled atmosphere
• Much improved corrosion resistance using high-pur-
ity magnesium
• Readily available
• Compared with polymeric materials
– Better mechanical properties
– Resistant to ageing
– Better electrical and thermal conductivity
– Recyclable
• Compared with Aluminum
– Its latent heat is low, so more casting can be pro-
duced per unit time.
– Better surface quality and dimensionality.
– Smaller draft angle and curved surfaces.
– High specific strength (14% higher than alumi-
num)
2.4.3. Disadvantages of magnesium alloys are listed
below
• Low elastic modulus
• Limited cold workability and toughness
• Limited strength and creep resistance at elevated
temperatures
• High degree of shrinkage on solidification
• High chemical reactivity
• In some applications there is a limited corrosion re-
sistance.
2.5 Corrosion resistance and biocompatibility of Mg
alloys
Magnesium alloys have poor corrosive resistance,
which limits their usage in the automotive and aerospace
industries. These alloys most likely suffer from atmos-
pheric corrosion, which is an electrochemical process
occurring on a metal surface covered with a thin
electrolyte layer.
37
Surface treatment is a practical way to
enhance the surface properties of magnesium alloys to
overcome the corrosion problems.
38,39
Polymer coatings
have been extensively used for the corrosion protection
of metals due to their superior performance in an
aggressive environment.
40,41
Nowadays, magnesium
alloys have been widely used in biomedical applications,
like temporary orthopedic implants and cardiovascular
stents.
42,43
Also, the stress-shielding effect can be miti-
gated, since the Young’s modulus of magnesium-based
alloys matches that of human bone better than con-
ventional bio-metals, such as stainless steel and titanium,
and other alloys.
44
However, degradation of magnesium
alloys in an aggressive physiological environment is too
rapid decay in a local alkaline environment, the
excessive evolution of hydrogen bubbles and even the
mechanical failure of the implant before the tissues heal
completely.
45,46
If the problems are solved, then its leads
to a widening of the usage of magnesium alloys in
S. ANNAMALAI et al.: MAGNESIUM ALLOYS: A REVIEW OF APPLICATIONS
884 Materiali in tehnologije / Materials and technology 53 (2019) 6, 881–890
Table 3: Environmental resistance of Mg, Al and cast iron
S. No Material Flammability Fresh water Salt water
Sun light
(UV)
Wear resistance
1 Mg alloys Very good Very good Poor Very good Average
2 Al alloys Good Very good Good Very good Average
3 Cast iron Very good Good Average Very good Very good

biomedical engineering. The Table 3 describes the
environmental resistance of magnesium alloys, alumi-
num alloys and cast iron.
3 APPLICATION OF Mg ALLOYS BASED ON A
FE ANALYSIS
To investigate the mechanical behavior of Mg alloys
and compare with Al and cast-iron materials, the
following materials are used and FEA code ANSYS15.0
software was utilized. Because those three materials have
very good mechanical properties among the Mg, Al and
cast-iron group of materials.
Table 4: Material properties of Mg, Al and cast iron
S. No Properties Unit Mg Al
Cast
iron
1 Density KG/m
3
1700 2700 7500
2
Modulus of
elasticity (E)
GPa 45 70 180
3 Poisson’s ratio – 0.3 0.33 0.29
4
Tensile yield
strength
MPa 310 216 200
5
Ultimate tensile
strength
MPa 230 370 310
The mechanical properties of all the three materials
are given in Table 3. The materials and the compositions
for all the three materials are given in Table 5. This
study involves a comparison of three materials based on
the different types of FE analysis, like bending, thermal,
vibration and fatigue analysis with different loading
conditions.
Table 5: Materials and composition
S. No. Alloy Name Composition
1 Mg alloy AZ61
Mg-Al-Zn-Mn-Si-
-Cu-Ni-Fe
2 Al alloy
Aluminum
6061-T6
Al-Mn-Mg-Si- -Cu-Cr
3 Cast iron ASTM Grade 40 Fe-C-Si-Mn-P-S
3.1 Nonlinear static analysis of Mg, Al and cast iron
For the nonlinear static analysis, the materials taken
from Table 4 and FEA code ANSYS 15.0 software were
used to find the stress-strain curves for all three materials
in the analytical method. The loading condition and the
dimension of the beam are given in Figure 3a.
The boundary conditions are:
• No of sub steps – 5
• Maximum no. of sub steps – 100
• Minimum no. of sub steps – 1
The nonlinear static analysis was obtained In an
analytical method and the stress value given in Figure
3b. Similarly, all the materials are analyzed with the
analytical method using FEA and the values given the
Figures 3c and 3d.
The stress and strain values are taken from the
analytical method and the bar charts are drawn, and it is
shown in Figures 3c and 3d.
From the bar chart for stress for the Mg alloy, Al
alloy and cast iron, it was observed that the stress value
of the magnesium alloy was very low when compared to
the other two materials, because of adding Zr material in
the Mg alloy composition, so its applicable for high
stress load application like fatigue load, etc.
37
In the
strain bar chart the strain values of the Mg alloy were
much less when compared to other materials, and its
revels that Mg alloys have very low stiffness, so that they
are not suitable for heavy load application. Also, the
magnesium alloy is not suitable for power train and gears
and engine castings can be made because of its creep
behavior. Considering the creep point of view the AE
series of Mg alloys have better creep resistance when
compared to the AZ series of Mg alloys.
S. ANNAMALAI et al.: MAGNESIUM ALLOYS: A REVIEW OF APPLICATIONS
Materiali in tehnologije / Materials and technology 53 (2019) 6, 881–890 885
Figure 3: Nonlinear static analysis: a) CAD model for static load con-
dition, b) stress analysis of Mg, c) stress curve, d) strain curve

3.2 Thermal analysis of Mg, Al and cast iron
To investigate the thermal properties of all the three
materials, the following thermal analysis was carried out
by an analytical method. The boundary-condition and
temperature values as given in Figure 4a and materials
for these analyses were taken from Table 4. The FEA
code ANSYS 15.0 software was utilized in this analysis.
The temperature distribution along the Mg alloy
material given in the Figure 4b, it is clearly indicated
that the temperature along the material starts from
100 °C to 500 °C, also the distribution curve indicated
that the temperature distribution along the material is
nonlinearly increased.
The thermal analysis of the Mg alloy is given in
Figure 4c. It shows that the minimum heat flux value
and the maximum heat flux value of the Mg alloy were
occurring along the material.
The Figure 4d curve shows that the heat-flux value
of the magnesium alloy is significantly lower than that of
the Al alloy and it is slightly higher than that of the cast
iron. The result revealed that the heat-resisting capacity
of the Mg alloy has shown better than that of the Al alloy
and nearly equal to the cast iron form that the Mg alloy
is suitable for heat-resisting applications for gear-box
housings and engine housings, etc.
3.3 Vibration analysis of Mg, Al and cast iron
A vibration analysis is very important for predicting
the damping capacity, vibration and noise control of the
material. To investigate the damping capacity of all three
materials the following boundary and loading conditions
were utilized. To investigate the natural frequency and
frequency under different static loading conditions for all
the three materials, the following vibrational analysis
was carried out using ANSYS15.0.
The material properties of all three materials were
taken from Table 4 and the boundary condition was
given in Figure 5a. From this analysis the damping
capacity of all the three materials was found more over
this study focus on the vibration response for all the
three materials in the static loading condition.
The natural frequency of all the three materials was
found from the vibration analysis and it is tabulated in
Table 6.
Table 6: Natural frequency for Mg, Al and cast iron
S. No. Material Natural frequency (Hz)
1 Mg alloy 23.38
2 Al alloy 23.25
3 Cast iron 22.0
S. ANNAMALAI et al.: MAGNESIUM ALLOYS: A REVIEW OF APPLICATIONS
886 Materiali in tehnologije / Materials and technology 53 (2019) 6, 881–890
Figure 5: CAD model for static load condition
Figure 4: Thermal analysis: a) CAD-model for thermal load condi-
tion, b) temperature distribution curve (node number vs. temperature)
for Mg alloy, c) thermal flux analysis of Mg alloy, d) thermal flux
curve for all the three materials

From Table 6 it can be seen that the natural
frequency of the Mg alloy and Al alloy are nearly the
same, but the cast iron was significantly lower when
compared to that of the other two materials. The
frequency under different static loading conditions was
obtained using a vibration analysis and it was tabulated
in Table 7.
Table 7: Frequency under loading condition for Mg, Al and cast iron
S. No. Material Frequency ( Hz)
100 N 200 N 300 N 400 N 500 N
1 Mg alloy 13.35 13.00 12.80 12.45 12.00
2 Al alloy 13.25 13.00 12.80 12.50 12.15
3 Cast iron 12.80 12.70 12.65 12.50 12.55
From Table 7 it can be seen that if increasing the
load then the frequency value of the Mg alloy goes
down, when compared to the other two materials. The
Mg alloy and Al alloy have nearly equal values under the
loading condition, and it is revealed that both materials
have nearly equal vibration-absorption capacity under
the loading conations. Even though the Mg alloy and Al
alloy gave similar results, the Mg alloy exhibits better
vibration-absorption capacity than that of the Al alloy.
Figure 5 is drawn using the Table 4 values. It can be
seen that the damping capacity of the Mg alloy was
better than that of the other two materials. So the Mg
alloy can be used for high-damping applications in auto-
mobile parts, like the connecting rod, engine mounting,
and crank case box.
3.4 Fatigue behavior of Mg alloys
To improve the fatigue behavior of magnesium alloys
in various fields, it is necessary to follow suitable
processing methods and reduce the amount of residual
twins. Twinning is one of the most important deforma-
tion mechanisms of magnesium alloys because of its
hexagonal close packed (hcp) structure.
47,48
L. Jiang et
al.
49
mentioned the addition of zirconium (Zr) can pro-
long the fatigue life, because Zr-addition promotes grain
refinement. Ni et al.
50
improved the fatigue limit of an
AZ91 magnesium alloy from 45 MPa to 90 MPa by
using the friction-stir processing method. Yang and
co-authors found that the Mg-12Gd-3Y-0.5Zr alloy
exhibits much better fatigue performance when com-
pared to the AZ31 alloy by improving the grain refine-
ment. They improved the fatigue limit on the AZ91 alloy
from 45Mpa to 90Mpa by friction-stir processing. G.
Huang et al.
51
found that the Mg-12Gd-3Y-0.5 Zr
magnesium alloy has better fatigue life than to that of the
AZ31 alloy. Li et al.
52
found that the peak-treated (T6)
NZ30K alloy exhibits much higher fatigue strength when
compared to a cast alloy. Considering the aluminum
alloy group of materials, a cast aluminum alloy exhibits
better stiffness when compared to steel.
53
3.4.1. Fatigue behavior of Mg, Al and cast iron
In automotive parts applications the fatigue is a signi-
ficant property, so that the material should be analyzed
for fatigue behavior. For this analysis the following ma-
terials are taken into consideration and listed Table 2.
This is because these materials are very high strength
among the alloy group of materials.
Using FEA analysis software ANSYS 15.0 was
utilized to find the fatigue behavior. The fatigue values
of all three materials are taken and plotted on the bar
chart, and given in Figure 6b. Four load cases were
applied at the free end of the beam for the fatigue
analysis. The load step values and the size and shape of
the beam for all the three materials are given in Figure
6a.
• 100 N at each corner. The time at the end of load step
is 10 s.
• –100 N at each corner. The time at the end of load
step is 20 s.
• No. of cycles is 10
7
The fatigue life of all the three materials was taken
from the above analysis and the values are plotted in
Figure 6b.
S. ANNAMALAI et al.: MAGNESIUM ALLOYS: A REVIEW OF APPLICATIONS
Materiali in tehnologije / Materials and technology 53 (2019) 6, 881–890 887
Figure 6: Fatigue analysis: a) CAD-model for fatigue load condition,
b) fatigue value for Mg, Al and cast iron
Figure 5: Damping capacity for all the three materials – vibration
analysis

In Figure 6b it is observed that the magnesium alloy
exhibits a high fatigue value when compared to alumi-
num and cast iron. So it can be applicable for automobile
spare parts, like the connecting rod and engine mounting
and some other parts which are affected by a fatigue
load.
4 COST ANALYSES OF Mg, Al AND CAST IRON
The higher cost is the major disadvantage of the
magnesium alloys. In the U.S., Mg alloy sells for $2.15
per pound, which is approximately double the price of
aluminum alloys, and it is more expensive when
compared to cast iron.
54.55
Because of that, many of the
mechanical components in automobiles, like hydraulic
jack, levers and handles, are made of mild steel and cast
iron.
56
In India the cost of all the three materials in 2018
varies based on the composition that approximate cost
given in Tables 4, 5 and 6 the cost variation of all the
three materials given in the Figure 7. The price increas-
ing of Mg alloys in India is because of the small market
size and the limited number of sources. Considering
world market, China is the largest producer, and they are
manufacturing nearly 88 % of the Mg alloy materials in
the world.
Table 8: Cost analysis of magnesium (Mg) alloy
S. No. Item description Quantity (kg) Price (INR)
1
2
3
Magnesium alloy AM 70
Magnesium alloy AM 80
Magnesium alloy AM 90
1
1
1
2865.00
2935.00
2996.00
Table 9: Cost analysis of aluminum (Al) alloy
S. No. Item description Quantity (kg) Price (INR)
1
2
3
4
Aluminum alloy 2014A
Aluminum alloy 6061
Aluminum alloy 7075
Aluminum alloy 2219
1
1
1
1
345.00
325.00
500.00
1000.00
Table 10: Cost analysis of cast iron
S. No. Item description Quantity (kg) Price (INR)
1
2
3
Heavy cast-iron castings
Ductile cast-iron castings
Cast-iron sand castings
1
1
1
100.00
53.00
50.00
The market values of all three materials were plotted
in the bar chart in Figure 7. The cost of the Mg alloy is
significantly higher when compared to the other
materials in the Indian market because of less availability
in India. During the term, the development of low-cost
Mg alloy sheets compatible with slightly modified
processing technic and equipment is available today.
That new forming technique is capable of delivering Mg
alloys, as per the requirement. There are several tech-
niques and equipment is available in the manufacturing
industry, like ICME tools, CAE tools, etc. Many of the
methods and areas are not discussed in this paper.
Moreover, there is substantial opportunity for innovation
in the alloying, processing and integrating of magnesium
alloys.
5 CONCLUSIONS
Based on the literatures from various research articles
for magnesium alloys, light weighting, physical pro-
perties, fatigue strength, corrosion, biocompatibility and
cost are analyzed. The following observations are made
on the above literature survey and FEA analysis.
Magnesium alloys have become reliable and are in
demand in the automotive, aerospace and biomedical
applications.
From the FEA analysis, the result revealed that the
Mg alloy is suitable for high stress, better damping
capacity and fatigue load applications, moreover the
heat-resisting capacity is significantly higher when
compared to other materials.
It is very important to realize that the use of magne-
sium alloys requires an integrated approach between the
user and the manufacturer to ensure suitable function-
ality and safety.
In the future we need a high-performance magnesium
alloy with a greater corrosion resistance, a high fatigue
strength, low prices, good biocompatibility, better stiff-
ness and creep resistance, which requires more research
and development.
Continuous research and development in magnesium
alloys, like wrought magnesium alloy, is the key to the
future of increased applications in the automobile and
aerospace industries and biomedical applications.
The use of magnesium alloy will be continued in the
future to help designers, engineers innovate and to take
better vehicle performance further.
Finally, more innovations are needed in the research
and development of Mg alloys.
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