Overview of Magnesium Metallurgy

Abstract

Human beings discovered magnesium compounds as early as the seventeenth century. In later years, the magnesium alloy has been used in our daily life.In this section, we discuss the magnesium mineral resource, magnesium smelting technology, the history of magnesium industry and the comprehensive utilization of magnesium slag. We believe that it is worthwhile to investigate the magnesium and ralated technology which will make our life better. Introduction Properties and Main Uses of Magnesium MetalHuman beings discovered magnesium compounds as early as the seventeenth century.Antoine Lavosier, a French scientist, theoretically inferred that an ore with unknown composition (ore containing alumina and magnesium oxide) contained a new metal element, but the magnesium could not be extracted using the reducing agents known at that time because of the strong bond between magnesium and oxygen atoms.Magnesium is a kind of light metal with high chemical activity. There is a huge reserve of magnesium ores widely distributed across the globe. Table 1.1 shows the distribution of elements in the earth's crust. Table 1.2 shows the main physical properties of magnesium. Because it has the advantages of light weight, high specific strength, good ductility, good damping and machinability, a strong electromagnetic shielding effect, good shock absorption, good thermal conductivity and thermal fatigue performance, and is easy to recycle, magnesium is widely used in aviation, aerospace, transportation, electronics, and other fields. The magnesium alloy is far superior to the aluminum alloy in electromagnetic shielding and shock absorption. Compared with fiber-reinforced plastics, the magnesium alloy has lower specific strength but higher specific stiffness. Because of its high chemical activity, magnesium can also be used as a reducing agent in the production processes of refractory metals (Ti, Zr, Be, U, and HF). Because magnesium has an extremely