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ZK61A (M16610) Magnesium

ZK61A magnesium is a magnesium alloy. ZK61A is the ASTM designation for this material. M16610 is the UNS number. It has a moderately high density among magnesium alloys. In addition, it has a fairly high electrical conductivity and a fairly high thermal conductivity.

The properties of ZK61A magnesium include two common variations. This page shows summary ranges across both of them. For more specific values, follow the links immediately below. The graph bars on the material properties cards further below compare ZK61A magnesium to other magnesium alloys (top) and the entire database (bottom). A full bar means this is the highest value in the relevant set. A half-full bar means it's 50% of the highest, and so on.

Mechanical Properties

Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus

46 GPa 6.7 x 106 psi

Elongation at Break

5.8 to 7.1 %

Fatigue Strength

120 to 140 MPa 17 to 20 x 103 psi

Poisson's Ratio

0.29

Shear Modulus

18 GPa 2.6 x 106 psi

Shear Strength

170 to 180 MPa 25 to 26 x 103 psi

Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS)

290 to 310 MPa 42 to 45 x 103 psi

Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof)

180 to 200 MPa 27 to 29 x 103 psi

Thermal Properties

Latent Heat of Fusion

330 J/g

Maximum Temperature: Mechanical

120 °C 250 °F

Melting Completion (Liquidus)

640 °C 1180 °F

Melting Onset (Solidus)

530 °C 980 °F

Solidification (Pattern Maker's) Shrinkage

1.3 %

Specific Heat Capacity

960 J/kg-K 0.23 BTU/lb-°F

Thermal Conductivity

120 W/m-K 69 BTU/h-ft-°F

Thermal Expansion

27 µm/m-K

Electrical Properties

Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume

29 % IACS

Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific)

130 % IACS

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Base Metal Price

13 % relative

Density

1.9 g/cm3 120 lb/ft3

Embodied Carbon

23 kg CO2/kg material

Embodied Energy

160 MJ/kg 70 x 103 BTU/lb

Embodied Water

940 L/kg 110 gal/lb

Common Calculations

Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work)

15 to 19 MJ/m3

Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience)

370 to 420 kJ/m3

Stiffness to Weight: Axial

13 points

Stiffness to Weight: Bending

62 points

Strength to Weight: Axial

42 to 45 points

Strength to Weight: Bending

50 to 53 points

Thermal Diffusivity

65 mm2/s

Thermal Shock Resistance

17 to 18 points

Alloy Composition

Magnesium (Mg)Mg 92.1 to 93.9
Zinc (Zn)Zn 5.5 to 6.5
Zirconium (Zr)Zr 0.6 to 1.0
Copper (Cu)Cu 0 to 0.1
Nickel (Ni)Ni 0 to 0.010
Residualsres. 0 to 0.3

All values are % weight. Ranges represent what is permitted under applicable standards.

Followup Questions

Similar Alloys

Further Reading

Advances in Wrought Magnesium Alloys: Fundamentals of Processing, Properties and Applications, Colleen Bettles and Matthew Barnett (editors), 2012

ASTM B403: Standard Specification for Magnesium-Alloy Investment Castings

Welding and Joining of Magnesium Alloys, Liming Liu (editor), 2010

ASTM B80: Standard Specification for Magnesium-Alloy Sand Castings

Essential Readings in Magnesium Technology, Suveen N. Mathaudhu et al. (editors), 2014

Environmental Degradation of Advanced and Traditional Engineering Materials, Lloyd H. Hihara et al., 2014.

Advanced Materials in Automotive Engineering, Jason Rowe (editor), 2012

Properties and Selection: Nonferrous Alloys and Special-Purpose Materials, ASM Handbook vol. 2, ASM International, 1993