MAGPLAT

MAGnesium PLATing and assembly for advanced applications

Today, the consumption of magnesium alloys for structural applications in the automotive, aeronautics and space industries is stagnating, or even decreasing, compared to the 1960s. And yet magnesium is the highest of all metals and one the most abundant and most easily machinable and castable ones. It also has very good mechanical characteristics. Although a new generation of Magnesium alloys has been emerging, some denser metals such as titanium and aluminium, or some more costly materials like the composite materials, are now being preferred.

Why are magnesium alloys neglected? for two basic reasons: low anti corrosion performance, lack of confidence from the industry, due to past, sometimes disastrous, experiences. Now, here is our CHALLENGE:

– To develop some insulating or conductive surface treatment techniques based on chemical or physical deposits for enhanced corrosion resistance, as required by the very nature of magnesium, i.e.: magnesium is the most electronegative practical metal in the periodical table of elements, magnesium exhibits an anodic character in relation to the assemblies. The aim is to increase corrosion resistance by 30%, compared to the treatments currently available on the Magnesium market, while preserving the environment (not using chromium VI, for example).

– To validate the technologies we shall develop to set the design and operating rules needed for using magnesium.

If these two gaps were filled, this would immediately open the way for a great number of applications. The fields of application involved in the proposal are the following: automotive, space, aeronautical, railway industries communication industries: portable systems (computers, telephone sets, etc.), and any other industries where weight necessarily has to be reduced to lower the consumption of fossile energy and for preserving the environment.

To reach the MAGPLAT objectives, the Project which lasts 3 years, gathers 8 partners from 4 European Union countries. Users from Automotive, Aeronautics and Space industries will define with the developers the alloys to be used and the anti corrosion level to be reached to lead to a reliable and cost effective material protection process. The Consortium, coordinated by a dynamic SME specialised in material surface coating and protection, associates in well balanced manner SMEs (3) and big companies (3) with research center either institute (1) and University (1). The expected gain in term of anti corrosion behaviour will be at least 30% over the currently available techniques, together with excellent performances in term of life cycle and aging time.