IIT Madras develops light-weight alloy to replace steel, aluminium in cars

There has been a lot of focus on lowering carbon footprint of vehicles by using light-weight material in their bodies, as lighter vehicles consumer less fuel

Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IITM), along with the University of North Texas and US Army Research Laboratory, have developed a magnesium alloy with significantly improved properties, that can replace steel and aluminium in automotive and aerospace components. 

The current industrial application of wrought magnesium alloys in structural components is limited due to their poor moderate or low strength. There has been a great deal of focus on lowering the carbon footprint of vehicles by using light-weight material in their bodies. Lighter vehicles consume less fuel to run and are therefore play a strategic role in increasing energy-efficiency.