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Research paper−121−Synthesiology - English edition Vol.2 No.2 pp.121-131 (Oct. 2009) transportation system with excellent energy efficiency. Through future developments in mass production technology this will be followed by wider application to machine structural materials such as in automobiles. This will help establish magnesium as a core material that is in itself environmentally sustainable, and will contribute in saving energy of transportation machineries.2 Greatest problem with magnesiumThe greatest and most serious problem with magnesium is that it burns in the atmosphere. Despite the fact that magnesium was already put to practical use as a structural material for aircrafts before the World War, this combustible property was a major psychological barrier for civilian use. In terms of manufacturing technology, melting and casting processes of magnesium are special due to its ignition and combustion properties, and it was difficult to apply the general metal material techniques that have been developed so far. The research for noncombustible magnesium concentrated on establishing a low-cost process acceptable to industry, and centered mainly on the development of a process that can be used in ordinary atmosphere by making the magnesium less combustible. Particularly, the process that does not use sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) gas, which is necessary as fireproof gas in the melting process, is an important technology that will determine the future direction of this industry, since SF6 is a global greenhouse gas that places a burden on the environment. With these possible developments, the manufacturing technology for magnesium can be converted from a special technology into a common one . We aim to 1 Research objective and outcomeEnergy saving in the transportation field, which consumes a large part of our energy and is expected to grow dramatically in the future, is an urgent issue that must be solved globally. One of the most direct and effective measures is to reduce the weight of the transportation machinery. The current transportation machineries are made of core materials including steel, iron, and aluminum, but a lighter weight material is desired as a new core material. Magnesium is one of the candidates that fulfill this objective, and it is recently receiving attention due to the social demand and concern for environment-friendly recycling technology. It is a remarkably abundant resource, is available throughout the world, can be easily recovered as metal material, is safe without environmental toxicity, and therefore has high potential to become a recyclable core material like iron, steel, and aluminum. However, it never became a core material due to various technological issues. If we are able to quantify the properties of magnesium from an industrial viewpoint and nurture it as a core material, it can certainly contribute to a truly sustainable society in terms of optimization of resource and energy use.Specifically, practical application of magnesium will allow weight reduction in almost all moving things. High efficiency can be realized through weight reduction of transportation machineries such as automobiles, railroad vehicles, and aircrafts, as well as machine components and robots. The initial goal will be to save energy by using magnesium in railroad vehicle components, since railroad is a mass - Research and development of non-combustible magnesium alloys -Michiru Sakamoto1* and Hidetoshi Ueno21. Materials Research Institute for Sustainable Development, AIST Anagahora 2266-98, Shimo-shidami, Moriyama-ku, Nagoya 463- 8560, Japan *E-mail: , 2. Materials Research Institute for Sustainable Development, AIST Shuku-machi 807-1, Tosu 841-0052, JapanReceived original manuscript January 23, 2009, Revisions received March 30, 2009, Accepted March 30, 2009Technological innovation bringing direct energy savings and reductions in carbon-dioxide emissions has been cited as an urgent issue in the field of transportation machinery. To cope with this issue, demand has been growing for structural materials that are lightweight yet offer high functionality because weight reduction of machinery can be immediately beneficial. A new non-combustible magnesium alloy with drastically improved areas of application is sought in which flammability is suppressed –– the worst weakness of magnesium alloys. Developing this new alloy as a basic component for reducing environmental load will contribute greatly to technological innovation for weight reduction in transportation machinery. This paper examines one methodology for industrialization of a new material through the resolution of the various technical issues related to practical application of non-combustible magnesium alloys.Energy savings in transportation systems by weight reduction of their componentsKeywords : Non-combustible magnesium alloy, SF6 gas-free process, basic material, lightweight structural materials, research network[Translation from Synthesiology, Vol.2, No.2, p.127-136 (2009)]

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