How is magnesium used in iron and steel processing?
Magnesium is an important element in the production of nodular cast iron, which is also known as ductile iron and spheroidal graphite iron. It is produced by introducing a small but definite amount of magnesium and/or rare earths, usually in the form of magnesium bearing ferro-silicon, to the molten iron. This process causes the graphite in the iron to nucleate as spherical particles instead of flakes, thereby imparting higher strength and much greater ductility to the casting. Ductile iron castings are widely used in automotive components and pipe.
