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AM60A Magnesium vs. SAE-AISI 4161 Steel

AM60A magnesium belongs to the magnesium alloys classification, while SAE-AISI 4161 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 AM60A magnesium and the bottom bar is SAE-AISI 4161 steel.

Metric UnitsUS Customary Units

Mechanical Properties

Brinell Hardness 62
200
Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa 45
190
Elongation at Break, % 8.8
20
Fatigue Strength, MPa 70
290
Poisson's Ratio 0.29
0.29
Shear Modulus, GPa 18
73
Shear Strength, MPa 130
420
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa 230
680
Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof), MPa 130
410

Thermal Properties

Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g 350
250
Maximum Temperature: Mechanical, °C 120
420
Melting Completion (Liquidus), °C 620
1460
Melting Onset (Solidus), °C 550
1410
Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K 1000
470
Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K 62
43
Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K 26
12

Electrical Properties

Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume, % IACS 13
7.3
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific), % IACS 69
8.4

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Base Metal Price, % relative 12
2.5
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 17
120
Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience), kJ/m3 190
460
Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points 15
13
Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points 71
24
Strength to Weight: Axial, points 37
24
Strength to Weight: Bending, points 49
22
Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s 37
12
Thermal Shock Resistance, points 14
22

Alloy Composition

Aluminum (Al), % 5.5 to 6.5
0
Carbon (C), % 0
0.56 to 0.64
Chromium (Cr), % 0
0.7 to 0.9
Copper (Cu), % 0 to 0.35
0
Iron (Fe), % 0
96.7 to 97.6
Magnesium (Mg), % 91.8 to 94.4
0
Manganese (Mn), % 0.13 to 0.6
0.75 to 1.0
Molybdenum (Mo), % 0
0.25 to 0.35
Nickel (Ni), % 0 to 0.030
0
Phosphorus (P), % 0
0 to 0.035
Silicon (Si), % 0 to 0.5
0.15 to 0.35
Sulfur (S), % 0
0 to 0.040
Zinc (Zn), % 0 to 0.22
0