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AISI W5 Steel vs. AM60A Magnesium

AISI W5 steel belongs to the iron alloys classification, while AM60A magnesium belongs to the magnesium alloys. There are 23 material properties with values for both materials. Properties with values for just one material (8, in this case) are not shown. Please note that the two materials have significantly dissimilar densities. This means that additional care is required when interpreting the data, because some material properties are based on units of mass, while others are based on units of area or volume.

For each property being compared, the top bar is AISI W5 steel and the bottom bar is AM60A magnesium.

Metric UnitsUS Customary Units

Mechanical Properties

Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa 190
45
Poisson's Ratio 0.29
0.29
Shear Modulus, GPa 72
18
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa 600 to 2360
230

Thermal Properties

Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g 250
350
Melting Completion (Liquidus), °C 1450
620
Melting Onset (Solidus), °C 1410
550
Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K 470
1000
Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K 45
62
Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K 12
26

Electrical Properties

Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume, % IACS 7.2
13
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific), % IACS 8.3
69

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Base Metal Price, % relative 2.3
12
Density, g/cm3 7.8
1.7
Embodied Carbon, kg CO2/kg material 1.6
23
Embodied Energy, MJ/kg 21
160
Embodied Water, L/kg 48
990

Common Calculations

Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points 13
15
Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points 24
71
Strength to Weight: Axial, points 21 to 84
37
Strength to Weight: Bending, points 20 to 50
49
Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s 12
37
Thermal Shock Resistance, points 20 to 78
14

Alloy Composition

Aluminum (Al), % 0
5.5 to 6.5
Carbon (C), % 1.1 to 1.2
0
Chromium (Cr), % 0.4 to 0.6
0
Copper (Cu), % 0 to 0.2
0 to 0.35
Iron (Fe), % 96.6 to 98.4
0
Magnesium (Mg), % 0
91.8 to 94.4
Manganese (Mn), % 0.1 to 0.4
0.13 to 0.6
Molybdenum (Mo), % 0 to 0.1
0
Nickel (Ni), % 0 to 0.2
0 to 0.030
Phosphorus (P), % 0 to 0.030
0
Silicon (Si), % 0.1 to 0.4
0 to 0.5
Sulfur (S), % 0 to 0.030
0
Tungsten (W), % 0 to 0.15
0
Vanadium (V), % 0 to 0.1
0
Zinc (Zn), % 0
0 to 0.22