Magnesium Alloy Breakthrough

Phys.org reported that scientists at Brunel University in London have created a grain refiner master alloy for magnesium-aluminium alloys.
As quoted in the publication:

A team led by Dr Hari Babu Nadendla from the Brunel Centres for Advanced Solidification Techniques found a patented niobium-based master alloy not only filled the missing gap in grain refiners for magnesium alloys but offered significant advantages over titanium in aluminium-silicon alloys.
Said Dr Nadendla: “The Nb-based master ally is shown to be effective in refining aluminium-containing magnesium alloys which are typically processed using sand or high pressure die casting or direct-chill casting. Our research showed significant improvements in both tensile strength and ductility after using the niobium master alloy.

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