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AM60A Magnesium vs. SAE-AISI A3 Steel

AM60A magnesium belongs to the magnesium alloys classification, while SAE-AISI A3 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 AM60A magnesium and the bottom bar is SAE-AISI A3 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 18
73
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa 230
700 to 2150

Thermal Properties

Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g 350
260
Melting Completion (Liquidus), °C 620
1450
Melting Onset (Solidus), °C 550
1410
Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K 1000
470
Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K 62
37
Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K 26
12

Electrical Properties

Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume, % IACS 13
8.3
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific), % IACS 69
9.7

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Base Metal Price, % relative 12
6.0
Density, g/cm3 1.7
7.8
Embodied Carbon, kg CO2/kg material 23
4.4
Embodied Energy, MJ/kg 160
67
Embodied Water, L/kg 990
78

Common Calculations

Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points 15
14
Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points 71
25
Strength to Weight: Axial, points 37
25 to 77
Strength to Weight: Bending, points 49
23 to 48
Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s 37
10
Thermal Shock Resistance, points 14
23 to 70

Alloy Composition

Aluminum (Al), % 5.5 to 6.5
0
Carbon (C), % 0
1.2 to 1.3
Chromium (Cr), % 0
4.8 to 5.5
Copper (Cu), % 0 to 0.35
0 to 0.25
Iron (Fe), % 0
88.7 to 92
Magnesium (Mg), % 91.8 to 94.4
0
Manganese (Mn), % 0.13 to 0.6
0.4 to 0.6
Molybdenum (Mo), % 0
0.9 to 1.4
Nickel (Ni), % 0 to 0.030
0 to 0.3
Phosphorus (P), % 0
0 to 0.030
Silicon (Si), % 0 to 0.5
0 to 0.5
Sulfur (S), % 0
0 to 0.030
Vanadium (V), % 0
0.8 to 1.4
Zinc (Zn), % 0 to 0.22
0