Applications of Magnesium Alloys in Aerospace and Aviation

YANG Lixiang，HUANG Yuanding，HOU Zhengquan，XIAO Lü，DONG Xiwang，LI Shurong，LI Fei，ZENG Xiaoqin，SUN Baode，LI Zhongquan

（1.MagIC‑Magnesium Innovation Centre and Institute of Metallic Biomaterials，Helmholtz‑Zentrum Hereon，Max‑Planck Straße 1，21502 Geesthacht，Germany；2.Shanghai Key Lab of Advanced High‑Temperature Materials and Precision Forming and State Key Lab of Metal Matrix Composites，School of Materials Science and Engineering，Shanghai Jiao Tong University，Shanghai 200240，China；3.Shanghai Spaceflight Precision Machinery Research Institute，Shanghai 201600，China；4.State Key Laboratory of Special Rare Metal Materials，Northwest Rare Metal Materials Research Institute Ningxia Co.，Ltd.，Shizuishan 735000，Ningxia，China；5.National Engineering Research Center of Light Alloy Net Forming and State Key Lab of Metal Matrix Composites，School of Materials Science and Engineering，Shanghai Jiao Tong University，Shanghai 200240，China）

Abstract:Magnesium alloys are well applied in aerospace and aviation because of their mass saving potential，good electromagnetic shielding performance，and high damping capacity.To further promote the applications，in this paper，the applications of magnesium alloys are reviewed，which could provide insights for researchers and application designers.Firstly，the applications in aerospace are reviewed，including missile，satellite，rocket，and spacecraft.Secondly，the applications and commercial magnesium alloys in aviation are summarized.Thirdly，the bottleneck and existing problems for such magnesium alloys applied in aerospace and aviation are discussed.The requirements for the magnesium alloy performance in aerospace and aviation are evaluated and elaborated.

Key words:magnesium alloy；application；aerospace and aviation

0 Introduction

Lightweighting in aerospace and aviation is an ur‑gent need，which can increase the payload of rockets，spacecrafts，and aircrafts，improve fuel economy，and reduce launch and flight costs as well as carbon dioxide emission.In general，when the weight of a rocket or aircraft is reduced by 1 kg，its launch and flight costs could save about 80 000 or 3 000 dollars.Magnesium alloys have higher specific strength than either steel or aluminum，and could offer a potential for reducing the weight of components in aerospace and aviation.Magnesium alloys also have good electromagnetic shielding and damping properties，and could effective‑ly reduce the vibration，noise，and electromagnetic in‑terference of spacecraft and aircraft in flight.

1 Magnesium alloy applications in aero‑space

Reducing the weight of aerospace components can improve not only the fuel efficiency but also the maneuverability of space vehicles including missiles，satellites，rockets，and spacecrafts.

1.1 Missiles

Both wrought and cast magnesium alloys were introduced into the primary and secondary structural components of Talos（see Fig.1）de‑signed by Johns Hopkins University Applied Phys‑ics Laboratory of the USA in the late 1940s.Wrought magnesium alloys are applied in cowl as‑sembly，innerbody fairing，innerbody aft cones，and electronic modules.Cast magnesium alloys are used in innerbody forward cones，wings，fair‑ings，and antenna housing.Magnesium compo‑nents in Talos represent 13% of the weight of the primary load-carrying structure and 10% of the gross launch weight.

Fig.1 Magnesium components in Talos［1］

In 1955，cast magnesium alloys began to be used in the Regulus I cruise missile（see Fig.2）.It is the first operational U.S.Navy cruise missile designed for attacking ground targets with nuclear warheads.

Fig.2 Regulus I cruise missile［2］

Magnesium Elektron North America（MENA）developed magnesium sunshade components to replace the beryllium sunshade for the EKV/GMD missile（see Fig.3），which is a part of the new Ballistic Missile Defence System designed by Raythe‑on Missiles &Defense of the USA in 2007.

Fig.3 Raytheon EKV/GMD missle［3］

It was reported that 90% magnesium alloy com‑ponents exist in the Falcon GAR-1（also designated as the AIM-4，see Fig.4）.The stabilizer fins were prepared with AZ31B alloy by die-casting.The rud‑ders were ZK60A T5（Mg-4.8-6.2Zn-0.45Zr，wt.%）forgings.The body was made of the AZ31B-H24 sheet and ZK60A-T5 tubing.GAR-1 was the first of a large family for U.S.air-to-air solid-fuel guided missiles.The missile started service for the United States Air Force（USAF）in 1956.It had a range of 5 miles，a maximum speed of Mach 2.8，and a conventional warhead.The missile was deployed for a brief period at the beginning of 1956.It was car‑ried on the F-89-H，F-102A，and F-106A intercep‑tor aircrafts.Magnesium alloys were also used in the AIM-7 Sparrow and AIM-120 advanced mediumrange air-to-air missile（AMRAAM）（see Fig.5）followed by the AIM-4.

Fig.4 AIM-4 Falcon at the Hill Air Force Base Museum［6］

Fig.5 Display of AIM-120 AMRAAM missile at the U.S.National Air and Space Museum［7］

There are 100 kg high-performance magnesium alloys such as ZK61（Mg-5.5 -6.5Zn-0.6 -1.0Zr-0.1Cu，wt.%）used for more than 30 parts in the Taurus kinetic energy penetration destroyer（KEPD）350 missile（see Fig.6），such as reinforcement frames，wall panels，rudder surfaces，and partitions.Taurus KEPD 350 is a Swedish-German airlaunched cruise missile manufactured by Taurus sys‑tems.The missile systems of the European group in‑cluding France，Italy，the United Kingdom，Germa‑ny，and Spain.

Fig.6 Taurus KEPD 350 missile［9］

In order to meet the urgent needs of lightweight technology for weaponry equipment，high-strength magnesium alloys were applied to missile compo‑nents.Mathematical simulations and analyses for a missile control section case and a warhead case were conducted.The results showed that magne‑sium alloys could satisfy the integration design re‑quirements for the material structure of components and could be used in the missile.Moreover，it could be proved that high-strength magnesium alloys were feasible in the engineering application of guided weapons and equipment.The Mg-Gd-Y-Zr alloys were applied to fabricate the missile shell in China（see Fig.7）.

Fig.7 Missile shell castings［11‑12］

Generally speaking，there is a positive correla‑tion between the tensile strength of metal alloys and the performance of small ballistic arms fabricated by such alloys.Besides lower tensile strength than rolled aluminum armor alloys，traditionally rolled magne‑sium alloys possess unique characteristics including superior vibration damping and special failure mecha‑nisms，which could improve the relative ballistic performance.The U.S.Army Research Laboratory（ARL）and MENA have conducted a joint effort to devel‑opandevaluatetherolledplatesofthecommerciallyavail‑able magnesium alloy AZ31B-H24（Mg-2.5-3.5Al-0.6-1.4Zn-0.2 -1.0Mn-0.04Ca-0.05Cu，wt.%）.The MENA produced rolled products and conducted the mechanical analysis，while the ARL performed the ballistic analysis.The magnesium alloy plates were parametrically compared and evaluated with refer‑ence to the minimum performance requirements of aluminum alloy 5083-H131 rolled plates with various armor-piercing and fragment-simulating projectiles（FSPs）.

The U.S.ARL evaluated the ballistic and corro‑sion performance of the high-strength magnesium al‑loy Elektron 675（Mg-6.5Y-7.5Gd-0.4Zr，wt.%）for vehicles and personnel protection.The perfor‑mance of Elektron 675 was compared with the base‑line magnesium alloy AZ31B and aluminum alloy 5083（AA5083）.It was shown that the magnesium alloy Elektron 675 offers higher ballistic protection at equal weight.However，Elektron 675 did not meet the corrosion resistance requirement specified in the military specification MIL-DTL-32333.In addition，the areal density and cost should also be addressed for magnesium alloys as armor material.

1.2 Satellites

Magnesium alloys were applied in the first active communications satellite in the world（Telstar 1，see Fig.8）in 1962.Telstar 1 was launched to test the basic features of communications via space，which was developed by the American Telephone and Tele‑graph Company（AT&T）.

Fig.8 Telstar 1：the first active communication satellite in the world［16］

Japanese researchers developed magnesium alloys for the flat blade of the nanosatellite CubeSat.The newly designed magnesium al‑loys have the properties such as lightweight，high specific strength，high specific rigidity，and high damping.Lightweight shape-memory magnesium al‑loys（Mg-Sc）have an application potential in aero‑space，which could increase the fuel efficiency of rockets and spacecrafts.It was developed by Tohoku University.

The castings of the satellite support fabricated by investment casting with the Mg-Gd-Y-Zr alloys are shown in Fig.9，and the diagram of the satel‑lite is shown in Fig.10.The minimum wall thick‑ness of the castings is only about 8 mm.

Fig.9 Castings of the satellite support made of Mg-Gd-YZr alloys［20］

Fig.10 Diagram of the satellite［21］

Continue Fig.10 Diagram of the satellite［21］

1.3 Rockets

The magnesium alloy MA2-1（Mg-3.8-5Al-0.8-1.5Zn-0.3-0.7Mn）was used in the R-7 rocket（see Fig.11）in Russia in 1957.The family of R-7 rock‑ets（Russian：Р -7）is one of the most frequently launched rocket families at present.It is derived from the Soviet R-7 Semyorka，which is the first intercon‑tinental ballistic missile in the world.

Fig.11 A R-7 rocket with the Vostok spacecraft［22］

1.4 Spacecrafts

Like Explorer I，Explorer Π（see Fig.12）was constructed of welded magnesium/aluminum alloy sections in 1935.It carried instruments for collect‑ing data in the high atmosphere including cosmic ray research，ozone layer，aeronomy，meteorology，biol‑ogy，and radio propagation.

Fig.12 Cabin of Explorer II［23］

The National Aeronautics and Space Administra‑tion（NASA）and the University of Florida devel‑oped new magnesium alloys to improve the margin and overall risk associated with each of these scenari‑os by improving the shielding performance and reduc‑ing the likelihood of electronic component failure oc‑currence.This work is funded by the Lightweight，High Strength Metals with Enhanced Radiation Shielding-Technology Advancing Partnerships Chal‑lenge Project.

In the Soviet programs for the exploration of outer space and planets of the solar system，wrought magnesium alloys are used in the spacecrafts such as“Voskhod”，“Venus”，“Soyuz”，and“Luna”（see Figs.13（a），13（b），13（c），and 13（f）），including MA8（Mg-1.5-2.5Mn-0.15-0.35Ce），MA12（Mg-2.5-3.5Nd-0.3-0.8Zr），MA14（Mg-5-6Zn-0.3-0.9Zr），MA15（Mg-2.5 -3.5Zn-0.70 -1.1La-1.2 -2Cd-0.45-0.9Zr），and MA2-1（Mg-3.8 -5Al-0.8 -1.5Zn-0.3 -0.7Mn）.Among magnesium alloys，the high-temperature VMD-10 alloy（MA22，Mg-YZn-Zr）should be specially noted.It has been used for the warheads of the Fregat upper stage，the power set of the Venera and Mars spacecraft（see Figs.13（b），13（d），and 13（e）），and the manufacture of a weld‑ed instrument container spacecraft“OKO”of the space missile attack warning system Kansas Practice Research Network（KSPRN）（see Fig.13（g））.

Fig.13 Spacecrafts made of magnesium and titanium alloys［22］

Continue Fig.13 Spacecrafts made of magnesium and titanium alloys［22］

2 Applications of magnesium alloys in aviation

With the approval by the Federal Aviation Ad‑ministration（FAA）for magnesium applications in commercial airliner seats（i.e.，nonstructural applica‑tions），widespread adoption of Mg would be allowed for high-efficiency aircrafts.Regarding the western aerospace industry，up to now，magnesium has not been used in structural applications by major aircraft manufacturers，e.g.，Airbus，Boeing，and Embraer.In the helicopter and fighter industry，magnesium alloys are used in non-structural elements such as gearboxes and transmissions.With the progress of the aviation industry，breakthroughs have been made in the development and applications of magnesium al‑loys.The developed commercial alloys and their me‑chanical properties are shown in Tab.1.

Tab.1 Mechanical properties of commercial magnesium alloys of sand casting at ambient temperature

The Northrop Corporation in USA has built an all magnesium aircraft（see Fig.14）by sand and permanent mold castings，a unique prototype fight‑er，during World War Π，in which the airframe，skin，and heliarc welded structures are made of magnesium alloys.

Fig.14 All magnesium aircraft［26］

In Convair B-36，there are 4 tonnes of magne‑sium alloys，which is about 10% of the structural weight.Boeing B-52 Stratofortress has been in service for almost 52 years since the service life of many components in the aircraft fabricated by magne‑sium alloys is much longer than their initial design data.Its brake is made of AZ92A-T4 alloy（see Fig.15）.There are 1 200 sand and/or permanent mold magnesium alloy castings made of AZ92/91/81 in Boeing 727，including trailing edge flaps，con‑trol surfaces，actuators，door frames，wheels，en‑gine gearboxes，and power generation components.AZ92A alloy is cast for the thrust reverser cascade of Boeing aircrafts（e.g.，Boeing 737，Boeing 747，Boeing 757，and Boeing 767）（see Fig.16）.

Fig.15 Boeing B-52 Stratofortress with brakes made of AZ92A-T4 alloy［26］

Fig.16 Aircraft Boeing with hrust reverser cascade castings made of AZ92A alloy［26］

AZ91E（Mg-8.1-9.3Al-0.4-1.0Zn-0.17-0.35Mn-0.2Si-0.015Cu，wt.%）is a high-purity alloy with ex‑cellent corrosion resistance，high tensile strength，and moderate yield strength.It can be cast by sand cast‑ing，permanent mold casting，and investment casting.The tail reduction gearbox of the Sikorsky CH-53D Sea Stallion（see Fig.17）is fabricated by AZ91E al‑loy with a weight of 285 kg.The CH-53D Sea Stal‑lion is a family of heavy-lift transport helicopters designed and built by Sikorsky Aircraft.

Fig.17 Sikorsky CH-53D Sea Stallion with tail reduction gearbox castings made of AZ91E alloy［26］

ZE41（Elektron RZ5，Mg-3.5-5.0Zn-0.8-1.7RE-0.4-1.0Zr，wt.%）alloy is a well proven magnesium casting alloy with high strength.It is ideal for high integrity castings operating at ambient temperatures or up to 150 °C.Besides excellent casting characteristics，ZE41 alloy is pressure-tight and weldable.Its versatility makes it interest to a wide range of designers in dealing with aerospace，automotive，military，and electronic applications including helicopter gearboxes，aircraft engines，aircraft components，military equipment，vibration testing equipment，performance car components，power tools，and motorcycle wheels.ZE41 alloy has been widely applied in the transmission components of the UH-60 Black Hawk（see Fig.18）and the gearbox of the thrust turbofan engine PW535 produced by Pratt &Whitney Canada（see Fig.19）.

Fig.18 UH-60 Black Hawk with ZE41 alloy castings［26］

Fig.19 Thrust turbofan engine PW535 with ZE41 alloy casting［26］

EZ33A（Mg-2.0-3.1Zn-2.5-4.0RE-0.5-1.0Zr）alloy is a cast magnesium alloy recommended for use at elevated temperatures.It has good high-tempera‑ture creep strength up to about 260 °C.It has been used in the gearbox of Rolls-Royce RB211 engines（see Fig.20）.

Fig.20 Rolls-Royce RB211 engine with EZ33A alloy casting［30］

QE22 alloy（Mg-2.0-3.0Ag-1.8-2.5RE-0.4-1.0Zr-0.02 -0.1Cu）is a high-strength cast magne‑sium alloy developed by Magnesium Elektron.It has good ambient and elevated temperature properties whilst retaining good foundry characteristics.It is pressure-tight and weldable，and can be used up to the temperature of 200 ℃.The accessory drive gear‑box of the General Electric F110 engine（see Fig.21）is made of QE22 alloy.

Fig.21 General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon and general Electric F110 engine［26］

WE43（Elektron WE43，Mg-3.7 -4.3Y-2.4 -4.4RE-0.4-1.0Zr，wt.%）alloy is a high-strength cast magnesium alloy developed and patented by Luxfer MEL Technologies for applications at temperatures up to 300 °C.It maintains good mechanical proper‑ties at elevated temperatures，without the use of ei‑ther silver or thorium.The alloy is stable for longterm exposure up to 250 °C.It has excellent corrosion resistance characteristics.The excellent retention of properties at elevated temperatures is of interest to designers of power systems such as aero-engines，helicopter transmissions，and missiles.WE43 alloy has been widely applied in transmission components and engine gearboxes.The upgraded gearboxes of the MD Helicopters MD 500/600 series（see Fig.22）are made of WE43 alloy.MD 500/600 series are a family of light utility civilian and military helicop‑ters in USA.The main transmission castings of Sikorsky S-92（see Fig.23）are also made of WE43 alloy.

Fig.22 MD Helicopter and its gearbox casting made of WE43 alloy［26］

Fig.23 Sikorsky S-92 and its main transmission castings made of WE43 alloy［26］

EV31（Elektron 21，Mg-2.6-3.1Nd-1.0-1.7Gd-0.2 -0.5Zn-0.4 -1.0Zr，wt.%）alloy is a new high strength fully heat treatable cast magnesium alloy for applications at temperatures up to 200 °C.This lightweight magnesium alloy has excellent corrosion resistance and castability.Elektron 21 was listed in the top table of ECSS-Q-ST-70-36C specification of the European Space Agency in 2009.It is a good material candidate for fabricating transmission housings of many commercial and military helicopters，attracting interest from major manufacturers including Boeing，Sikorsky，Bell，MD Helicopters，Airbus，and Leonardo.The military helicopters employing EV31 alloy include the Sikorsky H-60 series（Black Hawk，Seahawk，and Special Forces），CH-47 Chinook，and AH-64D Apache，in which EV31 alloy is also used to achieve higher horsepower at higher temperatures.

The Luxfer Magnesium Elektron Ltd.（MEL）Technologies including both Magnesium Elektron UK and Magnesium Elektron North America have made outstanding contributions to the development and applications of magnesium alloys.Elektron WE43 and Elektron 21 are two typical alloys invent‑ed by Magnesium Elektron.Airbus evaluated Elek‑tron WE43 and Elektron 21 by both investment cast and sand cast in 2010，and used them in their com‑mercial aircrafts.

Moreover，all new U.S.and many European fighter aircrafts contained Elektron WE43 and Elek‑tron 21 alloys in their power systems.Since fighter engines are run at very high temperatures，heat-resis‑tant Elektron WE43 and Elektron 21 alloys have been used exclusively in auxiliary power units（APUs），constant speed drives（CSDs），airframemounted accessory drives（AMADs），and engine gearboxes.The fighter aircrafts with these alloys castings include the F-22，F-35，F-16 upgrades and Eurofighter Typhoon.

Magnesium alloys have also been widely applied in the aviation industry of Russia and positioned as national strategic resources.The cast magnesium alloys are one of the most widely used materials in in‑dustry.They could be divided into three groups ac‑cording to their operating conditions，i.e.，highstrength magnesium alloys（Mg-Al-Zn），corrosionresistance magnesium alloys（Mg-Zn-Zr），and heatresistant magnesium alloys（Mg-RE-M）.

High-strength cast magnesium alloys are de‑signed for operations at temperatures up to 150 ℃（long-term）and 200 ℃（short-term），including ML5，ML5p.ch.，ML8，ML12，ML15，VML18，and VML20.The mechanical properties of these alloys at ambient temperature are presented in Tab.2.Such alloys could be used to fabricate components of aircrafts and helicopters such as reduc‑er housing，aircraft wheel body，and helicopter gear‑box housing（see Figs.23-29）.

Tab.2 Mechanical properties of high strength magnesium alloys at ambient temperature［39-42］

Corrosion-resistant cast magnesium alloys are designed for operations at temperatures up to 150 ℃（long-term）and 175 ℃（short-term），including

ML5p.ch.and VML18.

Fig.24 Reducer housing made of magnesium alloy ML5［37］

Fig.25 Reducer housing made of magnesium alloy ML8［37］

Fig.26 Reducer housing made of magnesium alloy ML15［37］

Fig.27 Aircraft wheel body made of magnesium alloy ML12［37］

Fig.28 Helicopter gearbox housing made of VML18 alloy［37］

Fig.29 Shaped castings made of VML20 alloy［37］

They have a lower content of harmful impurities and good corrosion resistance，and could be used for the manufacture of parts and products of aerospace and mechanical engineering（devices，units，body castings，pumps，pumps，crankcases，oil sump，block covers，brackets，trusses，and frames）.

Heat-resistant cast magnesium alloys are de‑signed for operations under heating conditions up to 250 ℃-300 ℃（long-term）and 350 ℃-400 ℃（short-term），including ML9，ML10，ML19，and VML25.Their mechanical properties are pre‑sented in Tab.3.

Tab.3 Mechanical properties of heat-resistant magnesium alloys at ambient temperature［45］

Heat-resistant magnesium alloys do not contain radioactive and toxic additives，and are used for the manufacture of parts for structures operating at ele‑vated temperatures，e.g.，aircrafts，helicopters，en‑gines，instruments，oil units，and gearboxes（see Figs.30-32）.

Fig.30 Front support housing made of magnesium alloy ML9［37］

Fig.31 Magnesium alloy cover made of magnesium alloy ML10［37］

Fig.32 Magnesium alloy cover made of magnesium alloy ML19［37］

Several projects were funded to advance the ap‑plications of magnesium alloys in the aerospace industry in Europe，e.g.，Aeronautical Application of Wrought Magnesium（FP6 AEROMAG）co‑ordinated by EADS InnovationWorks（Germany）and Forming Technologies Development for Intro‑ducing Wrought Magnesium Applications in Aero‑nautics（FP6 MagForming）coordinated by Palbam-AMTS（Israel）.

The advanced magnesium alloy technology has been listed as a key candidate for future airframe structure（see Fig.33）in the program named as Advanced Composite Materials &Process Develop‑ment for Next Generation Aircraft Structures since FY2003 under the contract with the Ministry of Economy，Trade and Industry（METI）in Japan in 2003.The KUMADAI magnesium alloy（Mg97Y2Zn1，at.%）with high ignition tempera‑ture will be applied in the aviation industry.It was invented by Yoshihito Kawamura who is the direc‑tor of the Magnesium Research Center at Kumamo‑to University.

Fig.33 Magnesium application for future airframe structures［47］

Mg-Gd-Y-Zr alloys have been applied to fabri‑cate new types of gunship castings in the transmis‑sion system of helicopters in China（see Fig.34）.

Fig.34 New types of gunship castings in the transmission system of helicopters［11-12］

3 Performance requirements of magnesium alloys in aerospace and aviation

Low absolute strength and corrosion resistance are two key problems for the application restriction of magnesium alloys in aerospace and aviation.Aero‑space and aviation components have both similar and different performance requirements for magne‑sium alloys.Both of them pursue high corrosion re‑sistance and strength.The corrosion rate obtained by the neutral salt spray test should be less than 0.05 mg·cm·d，which is similar to that of the 5083 aluminum alloy.However，aerospace products put more emphasis on the characteristics of high-tem‑perature mechanical properties and corrosion resis‑tance，while aviation components put more emphasis on the charcteristics of durability，fatigue resistance，and creep resistance.

The performance requirements of magnesium al‑loys in aerospace normally follow the following rules.The UTS，YS，and EL of sand-cast magnesium al‑loys are greater than 400 MPa，260 MPa，and 3% at ambient temperature while 300 MPa，200 MPa，and 5% at 250 °C，respectively.The mechanical proper‑ties are similar to those of the ZL205A（a Chinese brand）aluminum alloy under the same specific stiff‑ness.The melt weight of cast magnesium alloys rang‑es from 500 kg to 1 000 kg per furnace，which could meet the requirement of the fabrication for large-scale castings.In contrast，the dynamic mechanical data of magnesium alloys are limited or absent.It is in urgent need of exploration and collection in the future.

The performance requirements of magnesium al‑loys in aviation also follow the following rules nor‑mally.The static and fatigue strength properties are needed.The strength properties creep resistance per‑formance of these innovative magnesium alloys are required to be as high as those of the AA5083 alumi‑num alloys for non-structural applications and the AA2024 aluminum alloys for secondary structure ap‑plications.For fatigue performance，aircraft designers pay more attention to the performance under high frequency with 100 Hz-120 Hz and low frequency with 10 Hz-20 Hz test conditions.For creep resistance，aircraft designers focus on perfor‑mance at 200 ℃and 250 ℃.In addition，the develop‑ment of material models and failure criteria for the prediction of forming processes，plastic deformation，and failure behavior of components is quite neces‑sary.Last but not least，the technological objective is to achieve a weight reduction of fuselage parts，sys‑tems，and interior components up to 35%.It could lead to a reduction in the fuel consumption of 10%and therefore a reduced environmental impact.

4 Conclusions

With the development of aerospace and aviation industries，the demands for structural lightweight ap‑plications are urgent.Lightweight and high-perfor‑mance magnesium alloys could make an important contribution to the lightweight components in aero‑space and aviation manufacturing.Although the exist‑ing magnesium alloys could meet the manufacturing demands，their properties of corrosion resistance and absolute strength are still poor compared with the ex‑isting aluminum alloys.The development and appli‑cations of new magnesium alloys require more coop‑eration from universities，scientific institutes，and aerospace and aviation enterprises.