Mining and Generation of Magnesium AlloysMagnesium Magnesium is the eighth most abundant element by...

Mining and Generationof Magnesium Alloys

Kenneth J. Clark Magnesium Elektron

Wednesday, October 22nd, 2008IAMFTWG

Atlantic City, NJ

AGENDA

Magnesium!

Extractive Metallurgy

Alloy Development History

Wrought Plate Manufacturing

Machining Magnesium

AGENDA

Magnesium!

Extractive MetallurgyExtractive MetallurgyExtractive Metallurgy

Alloy Development HistoryAlloy Development HistoryAlloy Development History

Wrought Plate ManufacturingWrought Plate ManufacturingWrought Plate Manufacturing

Machining MagnesiumMachining MagnesiumMachining Magnesium

Magnesium

Magnesium is the eighth most abundant element by mass of the earth.

It’s a fact that magnesium is a necessary element for all living organisms, both plants and animals.

The green material in plants, chlorophyll contains magnesium.

Human beings also need magnesium. The U.S. National Academy of Sciences has estimated that a nation-wide initiative to add calcium and magnesium to soft water might reduce the annual cardiovascular death rate by 150,000 in the United States.

Magnesium

Magnesium is not found in a pure form because it bonds with other elements. It’s necessary to apply a process to retrieve a usable amount of Mg.

The majority of magnesium product produced today is obtained from the processing of naturally occurring minerals such as magnesite (magnesium carbonate), magnesium chloride rich brine, and seawater.

AGENDA

Magnesium!Magnesium!Magnesium!

Extractive Metallurgy




sea water

Magnesium Sources

There are more than 300 million cubic miles of seawater

A cubic mile of seawater is estimated to contain six million tons of magnesium

Magnesium Sources

magnesite oresdolomite ores

sea water

Sea

Wat

er E

lect

roly

tic

Ext

ract

ion

Pro

cess

Dolomite Rock

Precipitation toMagnesium Hydrate

Purifier

Kilns

DrierDehydrationFrom 35% to 73%MgCl2

NeutralizersHCL fromOrganicChlorination

+ _LiquefactionChlo

rine

Refining, Alloying & Casting

Liquid Chlorine

MagnesiumIngots

ElectrolyticMagnesium Cells

Filters

HydrochloricAcid Furnace

Mg(OH)2

Sea Water

The Electrolytic Extraction Process

BrineConcentrationPonds

ElectrolyticMagnesium

Cells

Ingot Casting

Line

PurificationPlant

Transportation to the Cast

House

The

Ther

mal

Red

uctio

n P

roce

ss

Bauxite (Al2O3)

Dolomite Rock

Al2O3 CaO / MgO FeSiKilns

_

Refining, Alloying & Casting

Mg Crowns

MagnesiumIngots

Kilns

S

S

Steel ScrapWood ChipsQuartziteCoke & Coal

FeSiFurnace

Condenser / Retort

Vacuum Furnace

Spent FeSiLadle

Slag

The Thermal Reduction Process

Precipitation toMagnesium

Hydrate

Briquettes BeingCharged into Retorts

Reduction Building With 64 Retorts

Magnesium CondenserTubes with Crowns

DolomiteMine

Unloading SlagFrom Retorts

AGENDA



Alloy Development History



Al Al -- Zn Zn -- MnMn 1930s 1930s

Zn Zn -- RE RE -- ZrZr late 1940s late 1940s

Ag Ag -- RE RE -- ZrZr early 1960s early 1960s

Y Y -- RE RE -- ZrZr late 1980s late 1980s

Zn Zn -- Th Th -- ZrZr early 1950s early 1950s

NdNd--GdGd--Zr Zr late 1990s late 1990s

mid 1980s mid 1980s

Magnesium Alloy Development History

Zn Zn -- ZrZr 1940s 1940s

late 1960s late 1960s

SAND CASTINGALLOYS

AZ63A AZ81AAZ63A AZ81AAZ92A AZ91CAZ92A AZ91C

ZK51AZK51AZK61AZK61A

EZ33AEZ33A

HZ32AHZ32AZH62AZH62A

QE22AQE22AEQ21AEQ21A

WE54AWE54AWE43BWE43B

AZ91EAZ91E

ZE41AZE41A

Elektron 21Elektron 21EV31AEV31A


Zn Zn -- RE RE -- ZrZr late 1940s late 1940s

Ag Ag -- RE RE -- ZrZr early 1960s early 1960s

Y Y -- RE RE -- ZrZr late 1980s late 1980s

Zn Zn Zn --- Th Th Th --- ZrZrZr early 1950s early 1950s early 1950s

NdNd--GdGd--Zr Zr late 1990s late 1990s

mid 1980s mid 1980s

Magnesium Alloy Development History

Zn Zn Zn --- ZrZrZr 1940s 1940s 1940s

late 1960s late 1960s

SAND CASTINGALLOYS

AZ63A AZ81AAZ63A AZ81AAZ92A AZ91CAZ92A AZ91C

ZK51AZK51AZK51AZK61AZK61AZK61A

EZ33AEZ33A

HZ32AHZ32AHZ32AZH62AZH62AZH62A

QE22AQE22AEQ21AEQ21A


AZ91EAZ91E

ZE41AZE41A

Elektron 21Elektron 21EV31AEV31A


Zn Zn Zn --- RE RE RE --- ZrZrZr late 1940s late 1940s late 1940s

Ag Ag Ag --- RE RE RE --- ZrZrZr early 1960s early 1960s early 1960s

Zn Zn Zn --- Th Th Th --- ZrZrZr early 1950s early 1950s early 1950s

Elektron675 Elektron675 mid 2000s mid 2000s

Zn Zn -- ZrZr 1940s 1940s

M1A M1A AZ80A AZ61AAZ80A AZ61AAZ31C AZ21AAZ31C AZ21A

ZK30AZK30AZK60AZK60A

EZ33AEZ33AEZ33A

HM21A HM21AHM21A HM21AHM21A HM21AHK31AHK31AHK31A

QE22AQE22AQE22AEQ21AEQ21AEQ21A


ZE41AZE41AZE41A

NdNd--GdGd--Zr Zr early 2000s early 2000s Elektron 21EV31A

Magnesium Alloy Development History WROUGHTALLOYS

Now developing large scale

production capability

Y Y -- RE RE -- ZrZr wrought early 2000s wrought early 2000s

AGENDA




Wrought Plate Manufacturing


Magnesium Elektron DEVELOPMENT SCALE

MENA

Cast house

Rolling mills

½ mile

MENA Large Scale Hot Mill

AGENDA





Machining Magnesium

Machining Magnesium

Power requiredThe table below gives a good indication of the relative power requirement for machining various metals:

Magnesium alloys 1.0Aluminum alloys 1.8Cast iron 3.5Mild steel 6.3Titanium alloys 7.6

Tool lifeWith carbide tools, tool life when machining magnesium alloys is

five to ten times the life whenmachining aluminum alloys. Tool life is also favorable using high speed steel.

Wonder Machine Services Inc.

Additional Elektron21 Marketing Activities

Thank you for your kind attention!

Ken ClarkMagnesium Elektron100 E. Taylor St., Suite #4Creston, IA 50801Phone: (641) 782-7200Fax: (641) 782-7929E-mail: [email protected]

Mining and Generation of Magnesium AlloysMagnesium Magnesium is the eighth most abundant element by...

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Transcript of Mining and Generation of Magnesium AlloysMagnesium Magnesium is the eighth most abundant element by...