One more forgotten metal.

[Carlos]

One metal that appears to be generally overlooked (for folder handles) is magnesium. It is 1/3 lighter than aluminum (by volume), and it is the lightest metal used for structural applications.



Its one limitation is its high reactivity which makes coatings a critical necessity. Advances in processing and alloying are producing more and more resistant forms of Mg. One trick is alloying Mg with Al.



In the end, it may be the Mg-based Metal Matrix Composites that give us the ultimate in lightweight plus high-strength.



Perhaps something else that R&D might consider worth looking into, whether in alloy or MMC form.

[Glenn]

I don't know if it is true, but I was told by a Canadian that the Canadian military uses Magnesium snow shoes. I was told the reasoning behind this that not only are they light and strong but they can be scraped to assist in lighting survival fires. I think that Magnesium scraping were used as a light source in miners lamps so I guess that would work. Is this the reactivity you are talking about? I didn't realize that there were ways to reduce this but it would seem necessary to using it as a folder handle. I am curious how is the structural Magnesium is treated to prevent flammability in a large fire where extremely high temperatures can be reached.

[Carlos]

Flammability is part of the reactivity issue, though I am no metallurgist. In auto racing magnesium is used for everything from wheels to engine blocks, so there is someway of moderating the flammability problem.

Most people don't realize it, but titanium is flammable as well -- it is even used as an ingredient in fireworks. Yet there doesn't appear to be a problem with this in most of its applications.