An investigation on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Mg-Sn based alloys and composites

The current high price and politics of oil has pushed the economics of transportation to the forefront of general public’s consciousness. There is renewed urgency to address the issue of weight reduction in the aerospace and automotive sectors. Mg-alloys are the lightest structural metallic materials (Table: 1) having the high-est strength-to-weight ratio, high specific strength and stiffness than any of the commonly used materials [1]. It also possesses good elastic modulus, good cast-ability, and high damping capacity, good thermal and electrical conductivity [2]. So demand of Mg-alloys having compar-atively same mechanical properties with other traditional alloys (like Al-alloy, Ti-alloy) is increasing signifi-cantly.