The production of magnesium-titanium alloys by mechanical alloying

In this paper the development of a mechanical alloying (MA) production technique for novel magnesium titanium binaries will be discussed. The aim of the work was to develop complete solid solution of titanium in a magnesium matrix for use as a structural corrosion resistant lightweight alloy. The alloy range under investigation ranged from 0 to 20 wt% Ti. Previous work((1,2)) using physical vapour deposition (PVD) had demonstrated the potential of the alloy system for corrosion resistance and indicated that alloys under 20Wt% Ti provide a good balance between corrosion resistance and density. Traditionally the use of magnesium alloys, especially in aerospace applications, has been limited by the perceived poor corrosion resistance. The addition of titanium produces both a self-healing corrosion layer and reduced galvanic potential. The boiling point of magnesium is lower than the melting point of titanium and only novel processing routes such as MA and PVD can be successfully utilised to produce alloys of magnesium and titanium. This paper will describe the work carried out to develop an MA process route for solid solution Mg-Ti alloys. The influence of various process control agents on the synthesis of Mg-Ti solid solutions will be discussed. In addition, this paper will detail some of the material properties obtained from these novel materials.