Magnesium, Magnesium Alloys, and Magnesium Composites

A look at the current and future uses of magnesium-based products and their role in the world’s environmental and technological revolution<br /> <br /> <p>The lightest of all structural metals, having one-fourth the density of steel and two-thirds that of aluminum, magnesium has already been adopted as an alternative construction material in applications as far ranging as automotive and sports equipment, electronics, and space technology. In a world concerned with minimizing the environmental impact of products, the choice of light-weight, energy-saving, and high-performance materials, like magnesium, would seem a small, significant step towards improving life on this planet. Magnesium, Magnesium Alloys, and Magnesium Composites introduces the science and current applications of this important metal, shedding light on the magnesium-based composites developed over the last fifteen years. Chapters include in-depth discussion of:</p> <ul> <li> <p>The characteristics of pure magnesium—including atomic properties and crystal structure as well as physical, electrical, and mechanical properties</p> </li> <li> <p>Magnesium alloys—and the effects of the alloying elements, such as aluminum, lithium, copper, nickel, and silicon</p> </li> <li> <p>The properties of magnesium-based composites—and the effects of different types (metallic, ceramic, interconnected, and intermetallic) of reinforcements of varying length (from micron scale to nanometric length)</p> </li> <li> <p>Corrosion aspects of magnesium-based materials</p> </li> <li> <p>Magnesium-based products in medicine, sports equipment, and the automotive, aerospace, and electronics industries</p> </li> </ul> <p>Bringing together, for the first time, the science, properties, and technologies relating to the current and future uses of magnesium, this important reference also offers readers a glimpse of a not-too-distant world in which environmental safety and sound engineering are a reality.</p>