Birmingham Airport is one of a number of organisations putting together an exhibition with the aim of shedding fresh light on the benefits of Magnesium, the properties of which are ideal for aerospace applications but is beset by a negative image based on misconceptions about the material's properties. Joining Birmingham airport are Birmingham City University, Meridian Lightweight Technologies and the International Magnesium Association (IMA), which will supply experts to judge an art and technology competition, the results of which will be at the heart of the airport exhibition. At 1.8g/cm~3, magnesium is the lightest of all structural materials, the eighth most abundant chemical element in the earth's crust and is 100 per cent recyclable. However, misconceptions surrounding the element's properties have seen a historical aversion to designing products with magnesium when compared to less sustainable and heavier metals. This is despite a long-standing ban being recently lifted for the use of high pressure magnesium die casting in aircraft seat construction.
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