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AM50A Magnesium vs. SAE-AISI A2 Steel

AM50A magnesium belongs to the magnesium alloys classification, while SAE-AISI A2 steel belongs to the iron alloys. There are 23 material properties with values for both materials. Properties with values for just one material (9, 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 SAE-AISI A2 steel.

Metric UnitsUS Customary Units

Mechanical Properties

Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa 45
190
Poisson's Ratio 0.29
0.29
Shear Modulus, GPa 17
74
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa 210
710 to 2040

Thermal Properties

Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g 350
260
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
38
Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K 26
11

Electrical Properties

Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume, % IACS 16
8.2
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific), % IACS 88
9.5

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Base Metal Price, % relative 12
5.5
Density, g/cm3 1.7
7.8
Embodied Carbon, kg CO2/kg material 23
2.7
Embodied Energy, MJ/kg 160
38
Embodied Water, L/kg 990
73

Common Calculations

Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points 15
14
Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points 71
25
Strength to Weight: Axial, points 35
25 to 73
Strength to Weight: Bending, points 47
23 to 46
Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s 39
10
Thermal Shock Resistance, points 13
25 to 71

Alloy Composition

Aluminum (Al), % 4.4 to 5.4
0
Carbon (C), % 0
1.0 to 1.1
Chromium (Cr), % 0
4.8 to 5.5
Copper (Cu), % 0 to 0.010
0 to 0.25
Iron (Fe), % 0 to 0.0040
89.4 to 93.3
Magnesium (Mg), % 93.7 to 95.3
0
Manganese (Mn), % 0.26 to 0.6
0 to 1.0
Molybdenum (Mo), % 0
0.9 to 1.4
Nickel (Ni), % 0 to 0.0020
0 to 0.3
Phosphorus (P), % 0
0 to 0.030
Silicon (Si), % 0 to 0.1
0 to 0.5
Sulfur (S), % 0
0 to 0.030
Vanadium (V), % 0
0.15 to 0.5
Zinc (Zn), % 0 to 0.22
0