Inquiry

Magnesium Alloys

Scientific Information

Symbol	: Mg
Atomic number	: 12
Atomic weight	: 24.305
Melting point	: 650 °C
Specific gravity	: 1.738
Element category	: alkaline earth metal

Magnesium is a silvery-white, low density, reasonably strong metal that is the world's most readily available metal and occurs naturally in minerals, brines, and seawater. Magnesium metal can be prepared commercially by two types of processes. In the first process, magnesium chloride is recovered from the raw materials and converted to metal by molten salt electrolysis. The second process involves the reduction of magnesium oxide with silicon or aluminum at high temperatures. The resulting metal is then cast into a variety of shapes and sizes of ingots or alloyed with various other metals and made into ingots, slabs, billets, and many extruded shapes.

Common properties of magnesium alloys involve lightweight, low density, good high-temperature mechanical properties, good to excellent corrosion resistance. Alloy composition is varied to obtain the desired physical and mechanical properties for a given application. The low density and high specific strength of magnesium alloys have created a great deal of interest in the use of these alloys in the automotive and aerospace industries and in portable electronics. Particularly in automotive applications, a magnesium engine block can significantly reduce the weight of an automobile and therefore its fuel consumption and environmental impact.

Naming Rule

Generally, all commercial designations for magnesium alloy grades follow the ASTM system. Magnesium alloys' names are often given by two letters followed by two numbers and a letter. The first two Letters tell main alloying elements (comparison between letters and elements is shown below), and the numbers indicate respective nominal compositions of main alloying elements. The last letter in each identification number indicates the stage of development of the alloy (A, B, C,...). In most cases, these letters show the degree of purity.

For example, alloy AZ31B is a magnesium alloy with roughly 3% of aluminum and 1% of zinc and it is in the B stage.

A - Aluminum
E - Rare earth element
J - Strontium
N - Nickel
S - Silicon
Y - Antimony

B - Bismuth
F - Iron
K - Zirconium
P - Lead
T - Tin
Z- Zinc

C - Copper
G - Calcium
L - Lithium
Q - Silver
V - Gadolinium

D - Cadmium
H - Thorium
M - Manganese
R - Chromium
W - Yttrium

Machining Characteristics

The magnesium alloys exhibit the best machinability of any group of commercially used metal alloys. Special precautions must routinely be taken when machining or grinding magnesium castings.

Our Products

Alfa Chemistry is a manufacturer of standard & custom specialty metals & alloys. We now can provide various magnesium alloy products including AZ series, HM series, ZK series, ZE (or EZ) series, and other magnesium alloys. Please click the link below for more details.

Alfa Chemistry specializes in providing high quality metals and alloys. We also provide professional custom production services to help our customers accelerate their own R&D and reduce the costs, and we are always available to answer any questions you may have during the R&D and production process. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you are in need of assistance.

NEED A QUOTE?

FAST QUOTE