Critical Assessment 9: Wrought magnesium alloys

This assessment is focussed on wrought magnesium alloys for lightweight applications, particularly in the transport sector. The challenges to their wider use are summarised, including poor low temperature formability, corrosion issues, dissimilar metal joining, and limited precipitation strengthening. The fundamental origins of these challenges, and current research to address them, are highlighted. Key developments such as the use of dilute rare earth additions to manipulate texture for improved formability are discussed. Opportunities to exploit the unique properties of wrought magnesium alloys where further research is required are identified.