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AM60B Magnesium vs. SAE-AISI 4140 Steel

AM60B magnesium belongs to the magnesium alloys classification, while SAE-AISI 4140 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 AM60B magnesium and the bottom bar is SAE-AISI 4140 steel.

Metric UnitsUS Customary Units

Mechanical Properties

Brinell Hardness 62
200 to 310
Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa 45
190
Elongation at Break, % 11
11 to 26
Fatigue Strength, MPa 96
360 to 650
Poisson's Ratio 0.29
0.29
Shear Modulus, GPa 17
73
Shear Strength, MPa 140
410 to 660
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa 230
690 to 1080
Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof), MPa 130
590 to 990

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 540
1420
Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K 1000
470
Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K 61
43
Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K 26
13

Electrical Properties

Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume, % IACS 13
7.3
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific), % IACS 72
8.4

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Base Metal Price, % relative 12
2.4
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
51

Common Calculations

Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work), MJ/m3 21
74 to 180
Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience), kJ/m3 190
920 to 2590
Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points 15
13
Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points 71
24
Strength to Weight: Axial, points 38
25 to 38
Strength to Weight: Bending, points 50
22 to 30
Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s 37
12
Thermal Shock Resistance, points 14
20 to 32

Alloy Composition

Aluminum (Al), % 5.5 to 6.5
0
Carbon (C), % 0
0.38 to 0.43
Chromium (Cr), % 0
0.8 to 1.1
Copper (Cu), % 0 to 0.010
0
Iron (Fe), % 0 to 0.0050
96.8 to 97.8
Magnesium (Mg), % 92.6 to 94.3
0
Manganese (Mn), % 0.24 to 0.6
0.75 to 1.0
Molybdenum (Mo), % 0
0.15 to 0.25
Nickel (Ni), % 0 to 0.0020
0
Phosphorus (P), % 0
0 to 0.035
Silicon (Si), % 0 to 0.1
0.15 to 0.35
Sulfur (S), % 0
0 to 0.040
Zinc (Zn), % 0 to 0.22
0