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AM50A Magnesium vs. ACI-ASTM CF3M Steel

AM50A magnesium belongs to the magnesium alloys classification, while ACI-ASTM CF3M steel belongs to the iron alloys. There are 30 material properties with values for both materials. Properties with values for just one material (3, 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 AM50A magnesium and the bottom bar is ACI-ASTM CF3M steel.

Metric UnitsUS Customary Units

Mechanical Properties

Brinell Hardness 58
150
Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa 45
200
Elongation at Break, % 11
55
Fatigue Strength, MPa 70
270
Poisson's Ratio 0.29
0.28
Shear Modulus, GPa 17
78
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa 210
520
Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof), MPa 120
260

Thermal Properties

Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g 350
300
Maximum Temperature: Mechanical, °C 120
990
Melting Completion (Liquidus), °C 620
1440
Melting Onset (Solidus), °C 570
1430
Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K 1000
470
Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K 65
16
Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K 26
15

Electrical Properties

Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume, % IACS 16
2.0
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific), % IACS 88
2.3

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Base Metal Price, % relative 12
19
Density, g/cm3 1.7
7.9
Embodied Carbon, kg CO2/kg material 23
3.8
Embodied Energy, MJ/kg 160
53
Embodied Water, L/kg 990
160

Common Calculations

Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work), MJ/m3 19
240
Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience), kJ/m3 150
170
Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points 15
14
Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points 71
25
Strength to Weight: Axial, points 35
18
Strength to Weight: Bending, points 47
18
Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s 39
4.3
Thermal Shock Resistance, points 13
12

Alloy Composition

Aluminum (Al), % 4.4 to 5.4
0
Carbon (C), % 0
0 to 0.030
Chromium (Cr), % 0
17 to 21
Copper (Cu), % 0 to 0.010
0
Iron (Fe), % 0 to 0.0040
59.9 to 72
Magnesium (Mg), % 93.7 to 95.3
0
Manganese (Mn), % 0.26 to 0.6
0 to 1.5
Molybdenum (Mo), % 0
2.0 to 3.0
Nickel (Ni), % 0 to 0.0020
9.0 to 13
Phosphorus (P), % 0
0 to 0.040
Silicon (Si), % 0 to 0.1
0 to 1.5
Sulfur (S), % 0
0 to 0.040
Zinc (Zn), % 0 to 0.22
0