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AM60A Magnesium vs. SAE-AISI S4 Steel

AM60A magnesium belongs to the magnesium alloys classification, while SAE-AISI S4 steel belongs to the iron alloys. There are 23 material properties with values for both materials. Properties with values for just one material (8, 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 S4 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
72
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa 230
670 to 2140

Thermal Properties

Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g 350
280
Melting Completion (Liquidus), °C 620
1430
Melting Onset (Solidus), °C 550
1390
Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K 1000
480
Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K 62
44
Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K 26
13

Electrical Properties

Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume, % IACS 13
7.4
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific), % IACS 69
8.7

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Base Metal Price, % relative 12
2.2
Density, g/cm3 1.7
7.7
Embodied Carbon, kg CO2/kg material 23
2.0
Embodied Energy, MJ/kg 160
29
Embodied Water, L/kg 990
48

Common Calculations

Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points 15
13
Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points 71
25
Strength to Weight: Axial, points 37
24 to 77
Strength to Weight: Bending, points 49
22 to 48
Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s 37
12
Thermal Shock Resistance, points 14
20 to 65

Alloy Composition

Aluminum (Al), % 5.5 to 6.5
0
Carbon (C), % 0
0.5 to 0.65
Chromium (Cr), % 0
0.1 to 0.5
Copper (Cu), % 0 to 0.35
0
Iron (Fe), % 0
95.2 to 96.9
Magnesium (Mg), % 91.8 to 94.4
0
Manganese (Mn), % 0.13 to 0.6
0.6 to 1.0
Nickel (Ni), % 0 to 0.030
0
Phosphorus (P), % 0
0 to 0.030
Silicon (Si), % 0 to 0.5
1.8 to 2.3
Sulfur (S), % 0
0 to 0.030
Vanadium (V), % 0
0.15 to 0.35
Zinc (Zn), % 0 to 0.22
0