MakeItFrom.com
Menu (ESC)

AM50A Magnesium vs. SAE-AISI 8660 Steel

AM50A magnesium belongs to the magnesium alloys classification, while SAE-AISI 8660 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 8660 steel.

Metric UnitsUS Customary Units

Mechanical Properties

Brinell Hardness 58
200
Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa 45
190
Elongation at Break, % 11
12
Fatigue Strength, MPa 70
340
Poisson's Ratio 0.29
0.29
Shear Modulus, GPa 17
73
Shear Strength, MPa 120
390
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa 210
660
Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof), MPa 120
550

Thermal Properties

Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g 350
250
Maximum Temperature: Mechanical, °C 120
410
Melting Completion (Liquidus), °C 620
1450
Melting Onset (Solidus), °C 570
1410
Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K 1000
470
Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K 65
39
Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K 26
13

Electrical Properties

Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume, % IACS 16
7.3
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific), % IACS 88
8.4

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Base Metal Price, % relative 12
2.6
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
50

Common Calculations

Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work), MJ/m3 19
73
Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience), kJ/m3 150
800
Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points 15
13
Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points 71
24
Strength to Weight: Axial, points 35
23
Strength to Weight: Bending, points 47
21
Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s 39
10
Thermal Shock Resistance, points 13
19

Alloy Composition

Aluminum (Al), % 4.4 to 5.4
0
Carbon (C), % 0
0.56 to 0.64
Chromium (Cr), % 0
0.4 to 0.6
Copper (Cu), % 0 to 0.010
0
Iron (Fe), % 0 to 0.0040
96.4 to 97.6
Magnesium (Mg), % 93.7 to 95.3
0
Manganese (Mn), % 0.26 to 0.6
0.75 to 1.0
Molybdenum (Mo), % 0
0.15 to 0.25
Nickel (Ni), % 0 to 0.0020
0.4 to 0.7
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