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AM50A Magnesium vs. SAE-AISI 81B45 Steel

AM50A magnesium belongs to the magnesium alloys classification, while SAE-AISI 81B45 steel belongs to the iron alloys. 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 SAE-AISI 81B45 steel.

Metric UnitsUS Customary Units

Mechanical Properties

Brinell Hardness 58
160 to 200
Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa 45
190
Elongation at Break, % 11
12 to 24
Fatigue Strength, MPa 70
250 to 350
Poisson's Ratio 0.29
0.29
Shear Modulus, GPa 17
73
Shear Strength, MPa 120
340 to 400
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa 210
540 to 670
Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof), MPa 120
350 to 560

Thermal Properties

Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g 350
250
Maximum Temperature: Mechanical, °C 120
410
Melting Completion (Liquidus), °C 620
1460
Melting Onset (Solidus), °C 570
1420
Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K 1000
470
Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K 65
40
Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K 26
12

Electrical Properties

Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume, % IACS 16
7.2
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific), % IACS 88
8.3

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Base Metal Price, % relative 12
2.3
Density, g/cm3 1.7
7.8
Embodied Carbon, kg CO2/kg material 23
1.5
Embodied Energy, MJ/kg 160
20
Embodied Water, L/kg 990
49

Common Calculations

Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work), MJ/m3 19
77 to 110
Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience), kJ/m3 150
320 to 840
Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points 15
13
Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points 71
24
Strength to Weight: Axial, points 35
19 to 24
Strength to Weight: Bending, points 47
19 to 22
Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s 39
11
Thermal Shock Resistance, points 13
17 to 21

Alloy Composition

Aluminum (Al), % 4.4 to 5.4
0
Boron (B), % 0
0.00050 to 0.0030
Carbon (C), % 0
0.43 to 0.48
Chromium (Cr), % 0
0.35 to 0.55
Copper (Cu), % 0 to 0.010
0
Iron (Fe), % 0 to 0.0040
97 to 98
Magnesium (Mg), % 93.7 to 95.3
0
Manganese (Mn), % 0.26 to 0.6
0.75 to 1.0
Molybdenum (Mo), % 0
0.080 to 0.15
Nickel (Ni), % 0 to 0.0020
0.2 to 0.4
Phosphorus (P), % 0
0 to 0.035
Silicon (Si), % 0 to 0.1
0.15 to 0.35
Sulfur (S), % 0
0 to 0.040
Zinc (Zn), % 0 to 0.22
0