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AS41A Magnesium vs. SAE-AISI M3 Class 1 Steel

AS41A magnesium belongs to the magnesium alloys classification, while SAE-AISI M3 class 1 steel belongs to the iron alloys. There are 21 material properties with values for both materials. Properties with values for just one material (10, 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 AS41A magnesium and the bottom bar is SAE-AISI M3 class 1 steel.

Metric UnitsUS Customary Units

Mechanical Properties

Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa 45
200
Poisson's Ratio 0.29
0.29
Shear Modulus, GPa 17
77
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa 230
770 to 2150

Thermal Properties

Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g 370
260
Melting Completion (Liquidus), °C 620
1610
Melting Onset (Solidus), °C 570
1570
Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K 1000
440
Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K 68
26
Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K 26
12

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Base Metal Price, % relative 12
25
Density, g/cm3 1.6
8.3
Embodied Carbon, kg CO2/kg material 23
10
Embodied Energy, MJ/kg 160
150
Embodied Water, L/kg 980
100

Common Calculations

Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points 15
13
Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points 72
23
Strength to Weight: Axial, points 38
26 to 72
Strength to Weight: Bending, points 50
22 to 44
Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s 41
7.2
Thermal Shock Resistance, points 14
24 to 67

Alloy Composition

Aluminum (Al), % 3.5 to 5.0
0
Carbon (C), % 0
1.0 to 1.1
Chromium (Cr), % 0
3.8 to 4.5
Copper (Cu), % 0 to 0.060
0 to 0.25
Iron (Fe), % 0
76.9 to 82.9
Magnesium (Mg), % 92.8 to 95.8
0
Manganese (Mn), % 0.2 to 0.5
0.15 to 0.4
Molybdenum (Mo), % 0
4.8 to 6.5
Nickel (Ni), % 0 to 0.030
0 to 0.3
Phosphorus (P), % 0
0 to 0.030
Silicon (Si), % 0.5 to 1.5
0.2 to 0.45
Sulfur (S), % 0
0 to 0.030
Tungsten (W), % 0
5.0 to 6.8
Vanadium (V), % 0
2.3 to 2.8
Zinc (Zn), % 0 to 0.12
0