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AM50A Magnesium vs. C15900 Copper

AM50A magnesium belongs to the magnesium alloys classification, while C15900 copper belongs to the copper alloys. There are 29 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 C15900 copper.

Metric UnitsUS Customary Units

Mechanical Properties

Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa 45
110
Elongation at Break, % 11
6.5
Poisson's Ratio 0.29
0.34
Shear Modulus, GPa 17
43
Shear Strength, MPa 120
420
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa 210
720
Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof), MPa 120
240

Thermal Properties

Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g 350
210
Maximum Temperature: Mechanical, °C 120
200
Melting Completion (Liquidus), °C 620
1080
Melting Onset (Solidus), °C 570
1030
Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K 1000
390
Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K 65
280
Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K 26
17

Electrical Properties

Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume, % IACS 16
48
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific), % IACS 88
49

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Base Metal Price, % relative 12
30
Density, g/cm3 1.7
8.8
Embodied Carbon, kg CO2/kg material 23
2.8
Embodied Energy, MJ/kg 160
45
Embodied Water, L/kg 990
310

Common Calculations

Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work), MJ/m3 19
37
Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience), kJ/m3 150
260
Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points 15
7.2
Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points 71
18
Strength to Weight: Axial, points 35
23
Strength to Weight: Bending, points 47
20
Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s 39
80
Thermal Shock Resistance, points 13
26

Alloy Composition

Aluminum (Al), % 4.4 to 5.4
0.76 to 0.84
Carbon (C), % 0
0.27 to 0.33
Copper (Cu), % 0 to 0.010
97.5 to 97.9
Iron (Fe), % 0 to 0.0040
0 to 0.040
Magnesium (Mg), % 93.7 to 95.3
0
Manganese (Mn), % 0.26 to 0.6
0
Nickel (Ni), % 0 to 0.0020
0
Oxygen (O), % 0
0.4 to 0.54
Silicon (Si), % 0 to 0.1
0
Titanium (Ti), % 0
0.66 to 0.74
Zinc (Zn), % 0 to 0.22
0