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AM60A Magnesium vs. ACI-ASTM CA6NM Steel

AM60A magnesium belongs to the magnesium alloys classification, while ACI-ASTM CA6NM 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 AM60A magnesium and the bottom bar is ACI-ASTM CA6NM steel.

Metric UnitsUS Customary Units

Mechanical Properties

Brinell Hardness 62
250
Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa 45
200
Elongation at Break, % 8.8
17
Fatigue Strength, MPa 70
380
Poisson's Ratio 0.29
0.28
Shear Modulus, GPa 18
76
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa 230
850
Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof), MPa 130
620

Thermal Properties

Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g 350
280
Maximum Temperature: Mechanical, °C 120
770
Melting Completion (Liquidus), °C 620
1450
Melting Onset (Solidus), °C 550
1400
Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K 1000
480
Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K 62
25
Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K 26
10

Electrical Properties

Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume, % IACS 13
2.8
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific), % IACS 69
3.2

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Base Metal Price, % relative 12
10
Density, g/cm3 1.7
7.8
Embodied Carbon, kg CO2/kg material 23
2.5
Embodied Energy, MJ/kg 160
34
Embodied Water, L/kg 990
110

Common Calculations

Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work), MJ/m3 17
130
Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience), kJ/m3 190
1000
Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points 15
14
Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points 71
25
Strength to Weight: Axial, points 37
30
Strength to Weight: Bending, points 49
26
Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s 37
6.7
Thermal Shock Resistance, points 14
31

Alloy Composition

Aluminum (Al), % 5.5 to 6.5
0
Carbon (C), % 0
0 to 0.060
Chromium (Cr), % 0
11.5 to 14
Copper (Cu), % 0 to 0.35
0
Iron (Fe), % 0
78.4 to 84.6
Magnesium (Mg), % 91.8 to 94.4
0
Manganese (Mn), % 0.13 to 0.6
0 to 1.0
Molybdenum (Mo), % 0
0.4 to 1.0
Nickel (Ni), % 0 to 0.030
3.5 to 4.5
Phosphorus (P), % 0
0 to 0.040
Silicon (Si), % 0 to 0.5
0 to 1.0
Sulfur (S), % 0
0 to 0.030
Zinc (Zn), % 0 to 0.22
0