Recycled Magnesium Alloys for High Ductility Automotive Applications

The qualification process leading to the utilization of refined recycled, high ductility magnesium alloys for automotive components at Chrysler Corporation is described. This process encompassed the steps from demonstrated process control during ingot production through the parallel performance testing of components produced from both electrolytic and refined recycled AM50A and AM60B alloys. The results of chemical analysis, optical and electron metallography, image analysis and corrosion testing of the ingot materials showed the electrolytic and refined recycled forms of the alloys to be indistinguishable. Mechanical property and salt spray corrosion tests of die cast specimens from the materials demonstrated their equivalence as well. Finally, the results of specified vehicle performance tests for three production components indicated that castings made from refined recycled AM50A and AM60B performed equally to their counterparts from electrolytic alloy materials.