Lightweight Innovations For Tomorrow (LIFT) has joined with Michigan Upper Peninsula-based startup Loukus Technologies to launch a "Fast Forge" project exploring the use of ductile magnesium-based alloys for extrusions used in automotive, defense and consumer applications.
The project team, which includes LIFT, Loukus Technologies, Eck Industries and Michigan Technological University, aims to extrude magnesium alloys with high room temperature ductility (>25%). In turn, this process will lead to a roadmap of magnesium alloy design and development, and a materials properties database of how they can be used in future applications.
Magnesium is a light metal; however, it is not as strong as other metals used in the defense and automotive industries. By developing new alloys to extrude, the team seeks to develop processes which will allow magnesium to be used in armor and automotive structures to help reduce weight. The project team also believes the material toughness can be further improved with alloy development and various heat treatment techniques.
"Magnesium alloys could certainly provide tremendous benefit across industries due to its weight-savings potential and ability to form complex geometries through casting, extrusion and forging," said Hadrian Rori, Chief Technology Officer for LIFT. "With the efforts this project team is putting forth, there is definitely some promise to increase the strength-to-weight ratio of magnesium alloys, enabling it to be used in more applications where that strength and toughness is needed, such as armor or auto frames."
"We currently extrude various magnesium alloys, but this project will help develop extrusions with improved room temperature formability. Our team is taking a vertically integrated approach to control alloying, casting, extruding and heat treatment," said Adam Loukus, Ph.D, CEO of Loukus Technologies. "We are using simulation and analysis tools to determine how various alloying elements and processing techniques affect final material properties."
Through the project, the team expects to deliver:
- An extruded magnesium alloy component with properties enhanced by alloy development and thermo-mechanical processing
- A road map of magnesium alloy development - from alloy design to final extruded product
- A database of material properties of magnesium alloys available for consideration for other applications.
For more information contact:
LIFT
1400 Rosa Parks Blvd.
Detroit, MI 48216
313-309-9003
www.lift.technology