Using Energy Efficient Microwaves to Synthesize High Performance Energy Saving Magnesium (Nano) Composites

摘要

Magnesium (with density, ρ = 1.74 g/cc) being ～ 30% lighter than aluminum and ～ 70% lighter than steel is an attractive and a viable candidate for the fabrication of lightweight structures. Being the designers' choice for weight critical applications, extensive research efforts are underway into the development of magnesium metal matrix composites (Mg-MMCs) through various cost-effective fabrication technologies. In recent years, there has been a progressive advancement in utilizing the microwave energy to consolidate powder materials and the present study accentuates the use of energy efficient and environment friendly microwave sintering process to synthesize magnesium based composite materials. The processing advantages of the innovative and cost effective microwave assisted bidirectional rapid sintering technique followed by hot extrusion are first briefly introduced. Subsequently, the properties of various Mg-MMCs (containing microano sized, ceramic/metal/amorphous reinforcement particles) synthesized using this technique are presented. Special emphasis has been made on the commending properties displayed by the nanoparticle reinforced Mg composites (Mg-MMNCs). Finally, an account of on-going research initiatives in the development of novel light weight Mg-composites is highlighted.