# Drill Hole Orientation: Its Role and Importance on the Compression Response of Pure Magnesium
## 1 Introduction  
Designing mechanical engineering equipment for special applications requires an extensive understanding of the environment that it is being designed for. In addition, certain real-time operational challenges require traditional analytical methods to be verified using extensive testing and qualification programs [1; 2]. It is well known that most equipment is an assembly of components with each individual component being designed for effective load bearing and transfer. Steels and other ferrous alloys have been the predominant choice of material to manufacture these components in the transportation sector due to their superior mechanical properties and excellent wear and corrosion resistance [3; 4; 5]. However, equipment made out of ferrous alloys is heavy [6] which results in unnecessary deadweight in moving components, subsequently increasing fuel consumption. Reportsindicate that there continues to be an increase in carbon dioxide emission despite various governmental policies [7] with almost a quarter of the greenhouse gases associated with emissions from road transport vehicles [8]. Therefore, reducing emissions, improving fuel efficiency, and reaching carbon neutrality is crucial for the future. Materials, such as aluminium and magnesium have been studied for a long time to replace heavier metals and alloys, such as iron and steel [9; 10; 11]. Aluminium has found immense applications in automotive parts, including in chassis, structure, and several components, such as welded tubes and heat exchangers [10]. Aluminium alloys and aluminium-based metal matrix composites have also found application in the aerospace industry, where weight saving results in enormous fuel savings and consequently helps reduce the carbon footprint, making it environmentally friendly [12; 13; 14]. In an attempt to further reduce weight, materials engineers have also introduced new alloys, such as high-strength steel, novel magnesium alloys, and plastics of different kinds to be tested and used in innovative and new automotive applications [15; 16; 17]. Magnesium, given its excellent vibration absorption capacity and widespread availability, has also found increased use in applications, such as in power tools, lawn and garden equipment, sports, aerospace and automotive equipment as well [18]. The wear resistance of magnesium-based alloys is also being studied to quantify the expected wear in a component over its lifetime [19; 20; 21]. Magnesium alloys have also found profound applications in electronics with the latest devices from brands like Microsoft (Surface Book and Surface Pro [22]), LG (Gram laptops [23]) and Fujistu (UH-X laptops [24]) employing magnesium alloys to maintain structural integrity while possessing an ultra-portable weight and customization. Over the last few decades, engineers, using finite element analyses, have also been able to optimize the topology of several components, thereby reducing weight [25; 26]. While traditional manufacturing processes have limitations to the extent of making material removal possible, the flexibility to have joints and an option of 3D printing has given engineers even more flexibility to design and develop complicated designs with ease [27; 28; 29]. Nevertheless, 3D printing may not be possible in all scenarios and for such cases, scientists have even introduced novel methods for drilling micron sized holes while improving tool life by providing efficient cooling methods [30; 31]. However, design and material selection form a part of the initial design phase. While material properties, such as mechanical strength, Young's modulus, wear, and corrosion resistance are critical, the optimization of component design is equally crucial for lightweight applications. Once a component is manufactured, real-time monitoring of equipment becomes necessary as it provides valuable inputs into the design caveats.