Carbon long fiber reinforced magnesium alloys

Magnesium alloys have a high potential for reducing mass in auto-motive and aerospace applications due to their extraordinary low density. However the ir utilization is often restricted since magnesium suffers from several mat erial inherent deficiencies like low stiffness, poor high temperature stren gth, low wear and creep resistance as well as a high thermal expansion coef ficient. Certain remedies have been developed in the past, e.g., extremely high in-axis strength and stiffness values can be reached by the reinforcem ent of magnesium with carbon long fibers. This paper reviews the investigat ions at the University of Erlangen on carbon long-fibers introduced into ma gnesium by a gas pressure melt infiltration technique.