FRG: Fundamental Approaches to Design of New Structural Magnesium Alloys

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The grant investigates fundamental aspects of solidification, phase equilibria and deformation mechanisms in order to establish a foundation for the design of future high temperature magnesium systems. Phase equilibria and microsegregation will be studied in two quaternary systems, Mg-Al-Ca-Sr and Mg-Al-Ca-Ce, followed by high temperature deformation using conventional microscopy along with high-resolution strain mapping techniques. The casting experiments will be made at casting facilities at Ford Motor Company and Eck Industries Inc. Computational thermodynamics and phase equilibria will be used to optimize the alloy compositions. A major goal is to structure an efficient combination of experiments and computation to accelerate alloy design in complex structural alloy systems. The research is a collaborative program between the University of Michigan, University of Wisconsin and the Ford Motor Company.The grant allows an effort to develop new high temperature structural magnesium alloys for transportation industry applications, where vehicle weight reduction is a critical element of achieving greater performance and fuel efficiency. An important goal of the proposed research will be to develop in the United States a more concentrated research effort on high temperature cast magnesium alloys and to provide a nucleus of research activity that will train students and postdoctoral fellows in the fundamentals of magnesium alloy design. Beyond this, the program will also develop an educational module on Mg for mechanical engineers and high school teachers participating in a summer camp for high school science teachers hosted by the University of Michigan and sponsored by ASM International, SAE and the Minerals Metals and Materials Society.