The Research Progress of Magnesium Alloy Building Formwork

Building formwork is a kind of temporary supporting structure consumable material used in the construction field. In recent years, building formwork has gradually developed to become lighter, more environmentally friendly, and have higher performance. This sets higher requirements for the materials used to make building formwork. There is an urgent need to find a lighter and more durable material for building formwork. Magnesium alloys possess the advantages of low density, high alkali resistance, and high strength. As a building formwork material, it can reduce the weight of formwork and improve its durability. Therefore, a magnesium alloy is considered a material with high potential for building formwork. Currently, magnesium alloy building formwork has attracted the attention of many companies and research and development institutions, with preliminary research applications and good feedback on usage effects. It is highly possible to obtain the opportunity to put it into market application. However, to be applied on a large scale, there are still some important problems that need to be solved. These problems fall into three main areas, including the relatively low processing efficiency of magnesium alloy materials, the unstable price of magnesium alloys, and the fact that the formwork is easily corroded during storage. Firstly, at present, the main processing methods for magnesium alloy building formwork are casting and extrusion, and the production efficiency of both methods needs to be improved. Secondly, high-performance magnesium alloy materials are usually more expensive, which is not conducive to the large-scale application of the formwork. The price of magnesium alloys has fluctuated greatly in recent years, which increases the difficulty of promoting magnesium alloy building formwork. Thirdly, in the atmosphere, the oxide film on the surface of the magnesium alloy cannot play an effective role in corrosion resistance. So, surface treatment is necessary for magnesium alloy building formwork. Among the various surface treatment methods for magnesium alloys, the chemical conversion method has the advantages of being easy to operate, cost-effective, and having good corrosion resistance. It may be a very suitable protective method for large-scale applications of magnesium alloy building formwork and possesses excellent potential for application. The future of magnesium alloy building formwork will focus on new low-cost materials, high-efficiency processing technology, and low-cost green anti-corrosion technology. With in-depth research and the maturation of technology, magnesium alloy formwork is expected to play a more important role in the construction industry.