Technological solutions to apply magnesium bulk materials in dynamic bending and axial compression load cases

Typical magnesium bulk materials, like AZ31B, show high potential to reduce vehicle weight in automotive applications. Technical limitations are coming from the material behavior under crash loads, where a risk of catastrophic failure is given in buckling deformation modes. To potentially implement magnesium into new applications, the behavior of magnesium AZ31B structures in dynamic bending and axial compression load cases have been studied. In structures with a bending load, such as a bumper, the stabilization of the section of the profile leads to a significant improvement of specific energy absorption and to a lower risk of catastrophic failure. Rectangular section beams have been constructed and tested by using the quasi-static/dynamic three-point bending facilities at German Aerospace Centre (DLR)—Institute of Vehicle Concepts. For axial loads, cutting or peeling mode based mechanisms have been developed and investigated, which allow the use of magnesium in these challenging applications.