Development of Eco-Magnesium Based Composite with Enhanced Mechanical, Damping and Ignition Properties

Background: Magnesium alloys and nanocomposites have been of great importance to automotive, aerospace and marine industries owing to their superior specific mechanical properties, impact resistance, superior damping capacities, and biocompatibility. Low-cost manufacturing of magnesium- based materials is the key to realize the high impact. We reviewed patents relating to production of magnesium- based materials using low cost techniques. Objective: Recent trends in the field of magnesium technology has driven researchers to develop magnesium materials applicable in both structural and biomedical applications. Incorporation of biocompatible secondary reinforcements into the magnesium matrix is important to meet the current requirements. Methods: In the current study, low cost naturally available eggshell particles are reinforced into magnesium- zinc alloy using powder metallurgy technique assisted microwave sintering technique and tested for a mechanical, thermal and damping response. Results: Addition of eggshell improved the grain size of the Mg2.5Zn alloy by ~60%. The microhardness values of Mg2.5Zn10ES composite is 73 Hv which is a significant 30% improvement when compared to Mg2.5Zn alloy (56 Hv). Enhanced thermal stability was observed with the presence of eggshell as Mg2.5Zn10ES composite did not self-ignite even at a temperature of 750°C. The compressive yield strength of the composite was ~25% greater than the alloy owing to superior grain refinement of ~60%. Conclusion: The presence of eggshell particles assisted in refining the microstructure, thereby significantly enhancing the compression properties of the Mg-2.5Zn alloy and led to a better thermal and dimensional stability of the synthesized composites. Structure-property correlations are drawn to understand the behavior of the composites.