ThyssenKrupp Magazin

98 MAGNESIUM
As a mineral, it is an insider’s tip against a hangover, since magnesium
taken promptly after a night of too much drinking will
soothe most aching heads. In fact, this is one material on which
the human organism greatly depends: the roughly 25 grams of magnesium
found in an adult body is essential to more than 300 biochemical
reactions, among them muscle and nerve functions, keeping the
heartbeat stable, and strengthening bones.
In medicine, magnesium has been known for several centuries,
with such compounds as Epsom salts being used as a traditional cure.
About 250 years ago, the British chemist Joseph Black also discovered
the metal’s elementary character, with magnesium later being given the
atomic number 12 in the periodic table and shortly thereafter the abbreviation
Mg.
The fact that magnesium is also a material with unique properties,
however, was not discovered until about 80 years ago. No other known
metal is as light – even a comparable aluminum sheet weighs a third
more – and as the lightest metallic construction material around, by a
large margin, magnesium allows for a diversification into technical
areas not covered by steel.
COMPARING FAVORABLY TO OTHER MATERIALS
With materials, three things matter above all: strength in relation to its
thickness, formability and adjustability, explains Bernhard Engl, managing
director of Magnesium Flachprodukte GmbH (MgF), a part of the
ThyssenKrupp Steel group headquartered in the university town of
Freiberg, Saxony. Compared to other materials, magnesium performs
particularly well with regard to these factors in many applications: for
example, when used on large construction elements, above all in sheet
form. Much therefore speaks in favor of using magnesium as a material
for car bodies, says Engl.
And magnesium in car bodies means environmental protection,
since, according to a U.S. study, the use of magnesium sheets can re-
Magnesium has very special
characteristics. For one,
no other known metal is
as light. This important fact
alone is enough to encourage
research and development
into more future uses
for this material.
TK Magazine | 1 | 2004 |