Property Update on Magnesium Die Casting Alloys

Magnesium alloy die castings provide opportunities for designing low weight, cost efficient solutions based upon a fully recyclable material. These incentives are highly attractive for the automotive industry. It should be emphasized that the majority of published and tabulated data on properties of magnesium die castings does not reflect the recent advances in alloy chemistry and die casting technology. In the present paper a summary is presented of mechanical and physical data of magnesium die casting alloys. The properties are representative for test bars produced under well controlled conventional cold chamber casting conditions. It should be stressed that further refinement of the casting technology (vacuum assisted casting etc.) can further enhance the mechanical properties. Fatigue properties are still under evaluation and will be reported separately.