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A review of magnesium die-castings for closure applications

Article in Journal of Magnesium and Alloys · April 2019

DOI: 10.1016/j.jma.2019.02.005

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Journal of Magnesium and Alloys 7 (2019) 297–304

www.elsevier.com/locate/jma

Full Length Article

A review of magnesium die-castings for closure applications
J.P. Weiler
Meridian Lightweight Technologies, Canada
Received 15 October 2018; received in revised form 19 February 2019; accepted 23 February 2019
Available online 3 April 2019

Abstract
Vehicle mass reduction in the automotive industry has become an industry-wide objective. Increasing fuel efficiency and greenhouse
gas emission targets for engine-powered vehicles, and ambitions for extended range electric vehicles have motivated these reductions in
vehicle mass. Mass reduction opportunities in structural automotive applications are increasingly realized through lightweight alloy castings,
such as magnesium, primarily due to the ease of component substitution. The traditional benefits of magnesium die-castings including
lightweighting and associated compounded mass savings, excellent strength-to-weight ratio, part consolidation, near net-shape forming,
dimensional repeatability, and integration of additional components can be realized in closure applications. One recent example is the
application of a magnesium die-casting for the structural inner of the liftgate in the 2017 Chrysler Pacifica, replacing nine parts in the
previous generation and resulting in a liftgate assembly weight reduction of nearly 50%. The work presented here reviews past and current
developments of magnesium die-castings in closure applications and discusses the benefits and challenges of magnesium alloys for these
applications, including casting design, corrosion and fastening strategies, and the manufacturing design and assembly methodologies.
© 2019 Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of Chongqing University.
This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license. (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)
Peer review under responsibility of Chongqing University

Keywords: Die-casting; Automotive applications; Closures; Lightweighting.

1. Introduction in secondary or compounded lightweighting – smaller engine

blocks and transmissions, and reduced braking requirements
The average fuel economy of North American cars and – further reducing vehicle mass.
light trucks was mandated to improve by CAFE (Corporate Die-cast magnesium alloy components used in automo-
Average Fleet Economy) regulations enacted in 1975. An ini- tive applications typically employ the three example meth-
tial increase in fuel economy targets was required from Model ods of lightweighting described above. The design process of
Year (MY) 1978–MY 1985 vehicles. No significant increase die-cast magnesium in automotive components uses extensive
in fuel economy requirements was seen until MY 2011. Cur- CAE optimization, results in mass reduction due to the rela-
rently, increasing requirements on fuel economy for both cars tive density of magnesium die-casting alloys, and can result
and light duty trucks are scheduled through MY 2025. It has in significant part consolidation due to the design flexibil-
been reported that these fuel economy standards can be met ity and fluidity of magnesium die-casting alloys. Magnesium
primarily through gasoline powered vehicle technologies, such die-castings have traditionally been used in vehicles in in-
as powertrain technology developments, as well as vehicle strument panel frames, seat frames, steering armatures, and
lightweighting [1]. Vehicle lightweighting can be described transfer case applications [2]. These and other unique appli-
by a number of methods not limited to computer-aided engi- cations have helped attain an average North American vehicle
neering (CAE) optimization of component or system designs, magnesium content of approximately 5 kg as of 2015, a value
implementation of lightweight materials, and part consolida- which is expected to triple by 2025 [1]. One of the appli-
tion. These, and other lightweighting methods can also result cations of magnesium die-castings that has been investigated
in several publications, and in a few cases introduced into
E-mail address: [email protected]. production vehicles more recently, is closure applications.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jma.2019.02.005
2213-9567/© 2019 Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of Chongqing University. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license.
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/) Peer review under responsibility of Chongqing University
298 J.P. Weiler / Journal of Magnesium and Alloys 7 (2019) 297–304

Fig. 1. 2017 Chrysler Pacifica showing the liftgate assembly highlighted by Fig. 2. Aston Martin Vanquish S with cast magnesium side door inners
a magnesium die-cast inner [3] (Copyright 2018 by FCA. Used with permis- (Copyright 2017 by CAR Magazine, used with permission).
sion).

2. Benefits of a magnesium closure

Closure designs have historically been manufactured with The primary benefit of utilizing magnesium castings in au-
steel stampings, although there has been a slight increase in tomotive applications is weight reduction, through both part
the use of lightweight materials for closures between 2012 replacement and compounding mass savings due to downsiz-
and 2015, predominantly utilizing aluminum [1]. In a study ing. In the case of a magnesium casting, significant part re-
completed by the Center for Automotive Research (CAR) [4], duction through consolidation and integration of functional
it was determined that 80% of the mass of a typical door as- and design features into one cast component can also be
sembly is contained in five of the components – the door achieved. In this work, a review of published design stud-
inner, door outer, hinges, intrusion beam and the beltline re- ies and production applications of magnesium die-castings in
inforcement. Further breaking down the mass distribution of closure applications [5–15] was completed. A weight reduc-
the door assembly shows that 65% of the total assembly mass tion of up to 50%, and a reduction of at least 4 parts is re-
is contained in just the door inner and door outer components. ported in both side door and rear liftgate magnesium die-cast
Implementing a magnesium die-casting in a closure inner ap- applications from previous generations or comparable steel
plication results in a lightweight material closure outer due designs. Significant examples in production include the mag-
to the capability to design stiffness and structural integrity nesium liftgate inner found in the 2017 Chrysler Pacifica de-
into a casting. This is accomplished through the use of ad- scribed earlier realizing a mass reduction of nearly 50% [5],
ditional ribbing and designing localized thicknesses. Replac- the magnesium side door inner developed for the 2004 Aston
ing these two components can result in significant assembly Martin DB9 [6] resulting in an estimated 43% mass reduc-
mass savings, in addition to additional compounding mass tion, and the magnesium rear liftgate inner casting for the
savings. 2010 Lincoln MKT luxury crossover vehicle [7], resulting in
There have been several published reports either investi- a mass reduction of approximately 40%. Further examples
gating or utilizing in a production vehicle a magnesium die- in production include the 2009 Mercedes E-Class T-Model
casting for a closure inner [5–16]. In each of these cases, a [13], developed with a magnesium die-cast liftgate inner, and
mass reduction of 40–50%, and significant part consolidation the 2017 Aston Martin Vanquish S [17] (see Fig. 2), and
was realized. One recent example is the application of a mag- the 2006 Mercedes CL-Class coupe [18] developed with cast
nesium die-casting for the structural liftgate inner in the 2017 magnesium side door inners. Finally, Fiat Chrysler Automo-
Chrysler Pacifica (Fig. 1), replacing nine parts in the previ- biles (FCA) has recently announced that the all-new 2018
ous generation and resulting in a liftgate assembly weight Jeep Wrangler will be produced with a magnesium swing
reduction of nearly 50% [5]. Despite these advantages and gate die-cast inner, as shown in Fig. 3 [3].
the significant weight reduction, there have been few produc- There have been several design studies completed report-
tion examples of magnesium inner castings in closure appli- ing mass reduction on die-cast magnesium closures. The side
cations. This may be due to the design challenges associated doors and liftgate inners in Lotus Engineering’s mass reduc-
with a magnesium casting. These include corrosion mitiga- tion assessment in a 2009 Toyota Venza crossover vehicle
tion, and fastening and assembly strategies, among others. [8,9] utilized a magnesium casting content of over 26 kg re-
The work presented here reviews several noteworthy inves- sulting in a mass reduction of 41%, and in a Department
tigations of magnesium die-castings in closure applications, of Energy (DOE) sponsored project led by General Motors
discusses the benefits and challenges of magnesium alloys initiated in 2012, an integrated die-cast magnesium door in-
for these applications, including the casting design, corrosion ner structure was developed, providing a door assembly part
and fastening strategies, and the manufacturing design and as- count reduction and a mass reduction of nearly 50%, while
sembly methodologies, and the future outlook for magnesium incorporating the door speaker into the design of the casting
castings in closure applications. [10] (see Fig. 4).
 J.P. Weiler / Journal of Magnesium and Alloys 7 (2019) 297–304 299

Fig. 3. All-new 2018 Jeep Wrangler produced with a die-cast magnesium

rear swing gate [3] (Copyright 2018 by FCA. Used with permission).

Fig. 5. Mercedes SL Roadster die-cast magnesium door inner [19] (Copyright

2004 by Indian Institute of Metals. Used with permission).

at attachment points and regions requiring greater stiffness,

such as hinge and latch regions [5–13]. Additionally, some of
these publications report thickness additions at the window
frame [11,12] and beam mounting [6] attachment regions.
Mercedes Benz reports that the magnesium inner liftgate de-
sign on the E-Class T-Model [13] is in one piece with local
thicknesses ranging from 2 mm to 5 mm and reinforcing ribs
in several regions, while Ford and Meridian [7] report on a
one piece die-cast magnesium liftgate inner design using ex-
Fig. 4. Integrated magnesium door cast inner developed as part of a DOE-
sponsored project led by GM, right, and equivalent steel stamped door inner,
tensive CAE with varying thicknesses and additional ribbing
left [10] (Copyright 2015 by IMA. Used with permission). to meet stiffness and safety requirements. The Chrysler Paci-
fica [5] magnesium liftgate inner incorporates local ribbing,
integrated gussets and thickness additions to satisfy NHV,
3. Magnesium closure designs stiffness and crash targets.
The design strategy for magnesium closure inner die-
A magnesium die-casting for closure applications also has castings at the time of publication of this work does not
several design challenges when compared to traditional stamp- appear to be standardized. Several of the closure designs in-
ing assemblies. The limited packaging space available in both corporate external reinforcement material to improve window
side door and liftgate applications and the limitations of de- frame stiffness [11,12], beltline stiffness [6,8,9,11], hinge and
signing an open section for part ejection in a die-casting ne- latch stiffness [8,9,14], rear wiper stiffness [5] or are de-
cessitates design creativity to meet stiffness and crash require- signed without a window frame to accommodate convertible
ments. Comparatively, steel stampings can be welded together models (see Fig. 5) [6,19,20]. Norsk’s magnesium die-cast
to create stiff closed sections, utilizing a greater modulus and inner [12] was designed with an aluminum extruded win-
ductility characteristic of carbon steel. A die-cast magnesium dow frame, while the MAGDOOR [11] die-cast inner was
alloy closure inner requires an advanced design to take ad- designed with an aluminum sheet panel to form a closed sec-
vantage of the fluidity of the magnesium alloy in the molten tion in the header to provide additional header reinforcement.
state and the capability to design deep ribs. These features Ford’s concept die-cast magnesium door inner [6] was de-
of die-cast magnesium alloys can allow for a one-piece de- signed with an open architecture with the beltline reinforce-
sign with local ribbing, integrated gussets and local thickness ment integrated into the hardware module (see Fig. 6), while
additions as required to meet stiffness and structural require- the Chrysler Pacifca magnesium liftgate inner [5] was de-
ments. These design advantages allow for the integration of signed with an aluminum stamping wiper reinforcement to
some reinforcements typically found on steel stamping clo- optimize the manufacturing process. Several magnesium side-
sure designs (i.e. hinge and latch reinforcements). Addition- doors were designed with the header integrated into the cast
ally, steel or aluminum reinforcement and attachment methods component [6,8–10,15], while several were designed with the
for the reinforcement are easily designed into a magnesium beltline integrated into the casting [6,10,12]. The majority of
casting. In the reports reviewed in this study, there are a num- closures were designed with the hinge and latch reinforce-
ber of differing magnesium die-cast inner panel designs due ments integrated into the casting. The door assembly designed
to optimization of the manufacturing process, or designing as part of a DOE-sponsored magnesium die-cast inner project
for stiffness or critical safety requirements. The majority of integrated the header, the beltline and the hinge and latch re-
casting designs report thickness additions, or ribbing patterns inforcements into the casting [10] (see Fig. 7). Finally, in the
300 J.P. Weiler / Journal of Magnesium and Alloys 7 (2019) 297–304

the California Air Resource Board in a 2009 Toyota Venza

crossover vehicle were subjected to extensive vehicle impact
simulations [9]. These simulation of the BIW structure show
positive results for the magnesium rear liftgate and side door
closures to side barrier impact as shown in Figs. 8 and 9, side
pole impact as shown in Figs. 10 and 11, and rear moving de-
formable barrier impact test cases. Fig. 8 shows the predicted
vehicle deformation and Fig. 9 shows the predicted intrusion
displacements resulting from 33.5 mph side barrier impact
CAE simulations. With a predicted maximum B-pillar intru-
sion of 65 mm, the occupant restraint systems should retain
functionality [9]. Fig. 10 shows the predicted vehicle deforma-
tion and Fig. 11 shows the predicted intrusion displacements
resulting from 20 mph 75° side pole impact CAE simulations
Fig. 6. Ford’s concept die-cast magnesium door inner with an open archi- using a 50th percentile male dummy. The results of this CAE
tecture [16] (Copyright by The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society. Used simulation shows a maximum intrusion of 250 mm [9].
with permission).

4. Magnesium closure manufacturing and assembly

The assembly process of a closure is an additional chal-

lenge when designing a magnesium die-casting for closure
inner applications. In the studies reviewed in this work, when
utilizing a magnesium cast closure inner, it enables an alu-
minum sheet outer panel that helps mitigate galvanic cor-
rosion concerns between the inner and outer closure panels
[5,10,12–14,16]. Further, in these works, the aluminum outer
is assembled to the magnesium cast inner through an adhesive
bond and a hemming operation between the aluminum outer
and the magnesium inner flange. The magnesium-aluminum
hem flange joint design has been extensively corrosion tested
by Bretz et al. [16] who demonstrate the challenges of pre-
dicting adhesive and corrosion performance of hem flanges.
Magnesium cast inners, prior to assembly, are designed to be
Fig. 7. Integrated magnesium die-cast door inner designed as part of a DOE-
sponsored project led by GM (Copyright 2018 by IMA. Used with permis- pretreated and coated off-line in the publications investigated
sion, courtesy of GM). here [5,6,11–14,16]. Coating the magnesium inner prior to
assembly with the outer panel provides for a layer of corro-
sion protection for the magnesium casting [11], a consistent
case of side doors, increasing safety requirements necessitate and clean surface for hem adhesive bonding, protection for
side impact intrusion beams on both stamped steel assemblies the zinc phosphate baths in the body-in-white (BIW) e-coat
and the magnesium cast inner assemblies discussed here. The process from magnesium dissolution and contamination, and
material choice for design of the side door intrusion beam acts as a primer for the paint system applied at the assembly
also does not appear to be standardized. The magnesium side plant. Both the door inner DOE-sponsored project [10] and
door inners studied here are designed with an intrusion beam the Pacifica liftgate inner [5] magnesium castings were de-
fabricated from an aluminum extrusion [12,15], a single steel signed with a conversion coating pretreatment and powder
beam [6,10], or two steel beams [6,8,9]. coat layer prior to the closure assembly, while the Mercedes
Several of these publications have reported results of stiff- E-class T-model magnesium die-cast inner [13] was designed
ness and impact from CAE simulations and physical test- with a two-layer coating of cathodic electrodeposition and
ing of both side door assemblies and assembled vehicles. powder coating following a conversion coating pretreatment.
Comparisons to the performance of baseline steel door as- The door assembly containing the integrated magnesium die-
semblies were performed to demonstrate that the stiffness of cast door inner designed in a DOE-sponsored project led by
magnesium side-door inners is at least comparable [12] or GM is shown in Fig. 12. Corrosion testing performed during
improved [15]. Both CAE simulations [6,9,12] and physical the development of the Aston Martin DB9 magnesium door
testing [6,15] was performed on door assemblies with mag- [6] demonstrates that the performance of conversion coatings
nesium cast inners to demonstrate that side and front impact combined with powder coating on magnesium die-cast clo-
vehicle crash requirements for energy absorption are met. The sure substrates is highly dependent upon the cleaning stages
mass reduction studies completed by Lotus Engineering for prior to the conversion coating.
 J.P. Weiler / Journal of Magnesium and Alloys 7 (2019) 297–304 301

Fig. 8. Vehicle deformation resulting from 33.5 mph side barrier impact CAE simulations according to FVMSS 214 of the BIW structure in Ref. [9] (Copyright
2012 by CARB. Used with permission).

Fig. 9. Simulated intrusion displacements resulting from 33.5 mph side barrier impact CAE simulations according to FVMSS 214 of the BIW structure in
Ref. [9]. This simulation shows that there is a maximum B-pillar intrusion of 65 mm. The addition of the side door assemblies improve the response by 19%
(Copyright 2012 by CARB. Used with permission).
302 J.P. Weiler / Journal of Magnesium and Alloys 7 (2019) 297–304

Fig. 10. Vehicle deformation resulting from 20 mph 75° side pole impact CAE simulations using a 50th percentile male crash dummy according to FMVSS
214 of the BIW structure in Ref. [9] (Copyright 2012 by CARB. Used with permission).

Fig. 11. Simulated intrusions resulting from 20 mph 75° side pole impact CAE simulations using a 50th percentile male crash dummy according to FMVSS
214 of the BIW structure in Ref. [9]. This simulation shows that the intrusion is predicted to be less than 250 mm (Copyright 2012 by CARB. Used with
permission).
 J.P. Weiler / Journal of Magnesium and Alloys 7 (2019) 297–304 303

die-casting closure inner content of over 26 kg resulting in a

mass reduction of 41% can contribute to successful crash sim-
ulation results. Similarly, a USAMP [2] report demonstrates
that utilizing magnesium die-casting content in closure appli-
cations of over 50 kg – four side door and a liftgate inner –
can result in a mass savings of 57 kg or 53% using a baseline
average MY2005 passenger vehicle.

6. Conclusions

This work presented here summarizes the mass savings po-

tential and performance characteristics of the cases of mag-
nesium die-castings in closure inner applications found in lit-
erature. This report demonstrates that solutions exist for the
primary technical challenges of designing for stiffness, crash
performance and manufacturability, designing an assembly
process for a die-cast magnesium inner to integrate the clo-
sure outer panel and the BIW, designing a coating system, and
Fig. 12. Door assembly containing the integrated magnesium die-cast door
designing mitigation strategies for galvanic corrosion. In sum-
inner designed as part of a DOE-sponsored project led by GM (Copyright
2018 by IMA. Used with permission, courtesy of GM). mary, magnesium die-castings are excellent options in clo-
sure applications to help achieve future CAFE requirements
through vehicle lightweighting.
One of the largest challenges when designing with mag-
nesium in exterior applications is galvanic corrosion. In the
Conflict of interest
presence of an electrolyte, magnesium is sacrificial to more
cathodic materials, such as iron-containing steels. In the clo-
The author declares no conflict of interest.
sure applications reviewed here, two reports analyzed the mit-
igation of galvanic corrosion by classifying regions according
to their relative exposure to moisture [5,13]. In zones identi- References
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