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AM50A Magnesium vs. ACI-ASTM CG8M Steel

AM50A magnesium belongs to the magnesium alloys classification, while ACI-ASTM CG8M steel belongs to the iron alloys. There are 30 material properties with values for both materials. Properties with values for just one material (4, 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 CG8M steel.

Metric UnitsUS Customary Units

Mechanical Properties

Brinell Hardness 58
180
Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa 45
200
Elongation at Break, % 11
45
Fatigue Strength, MPa 70
280
Poisson's Ratio 0.29
0.28
Shear Modulus, GPa 17
79
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa 210
550
Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof), MPa 120
300

Thermal Properties

Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g 350
300
Maximum Temperature: Mechanical, °C 120
1020
Melting Completion (Liquidus), °C 620
1450
Melting Onset (Solidus), °C 570
1400
Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K 1000
470
Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K 65
16
Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K 26
16

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
20
Density, g/cm3 1.7
7.9
Embodied Carbon, kg CO2/kg material 23
4.1
Embodied Energy, MJ/kg 160
56
Embodied Water, L/kg 990
160

Common Calculations

Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work), MJ/m3 19
210
Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience), kJ/m3 150
220
Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points 15
14
Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points 71
25
Strength to Weight: Axial, points 35
19
Strength to Weight: Bending, points 47
19
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 0.080
Chromium (Cr), % 0
18 to 21
Copper (Cu), % 0 to 0.010
0
Iron (Fe), % 0 to 0.0040
58.8 to 70
Magnesium (Mg), % 93.7 to 95.3
0
Manganese (Mn), % 0.26 to 0.6
0 to 1.5
Molybdenum (Mo), % 0
3.0 to 4.0
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