Hard face for soft alloys

An ecofriendly surface treatment improves thermal, wear, and corrosion resistance of light metals enough to let them replace steel in automotive uses. Magnesium racing wheels are being coated using the proprietary plasma electrolytic oxidation process at Keronite International's largest facility in Bicester, near Oxford in the U.K. Thomas Sheldrake, Keronite engineer, examining a section of Keronite under the microscope to measure the surface roughness. Keronite plasma electrolytic oxidation coatings for light metals can be spec'd by automotive designers to reduce vehicle weight. That in turns helps improve fuel economy and decreases emissions. As an immersion process, Keronite can be used to treat the inner surfaces of complex shapes. The ceramic layers can be adjusted for optimal performance. The increasingly dire reports of global warming coupled with gas prices topping three bucks a gallon this past summer have heightened pressure on automotive designers to further reduce CO2 emissions and improve fuel economy. One obvious solution is to drop vehicle weight: With every 10% decrease comes a 7% reduction in fuel consumption and associated emissions, government sources say. Shaving 10 kg (22 lb) of steel from an automobile and replacing it with only 4 kg (8 lb) of magnesium, for example, would drop greenhouse gas emissions by 100 kg (220 lb) over the lifetime of the vehicle. That equates to 4 million metric tons (4.4 million short U.S. tons) annually if such a substitution was made in every passenger car produced. But America's increasing appetite for more onboard bells and whistles along with its continued love affair with heavy-duty trucks and SUVs are major counterbalances that designers must over-come. Peugeot, for example, estimates that adding creature comforts such as entertainment and navigation systems along with advanced safety gear has already boosted vehicle weight on average 80 kg (176 lb). An aggressive materials substitution