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AS41B Magnesium vs. SAE-AISI M4 Steel

AS41B magnesium belongs to the magnesium alloys classification, while SAE-AISI M4 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 AS41B magnesium and the bottom bar is SAE-AISI M4 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 18
76
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa 210
770 to 2150

Thermal Properties

Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g 370
260
Melting Completion (Liquidus), °C 620
1610
Melting Onset (Solidus), °C 570
1560
Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K 1000
440
Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K 68
25
Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K 26
12

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Base Metal Price, % relative 12
25
Density, g/cm3 1.7
8.3
Embodied Carbon, kg CO2/kg material 23
14
Embodied Energy, MJ/kg 160
210
Embodied Water, L/kg 980
110

Common Calculations

Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points 15
13
Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points 72
23
Strength to Weight: Axial, points 35
26 to 72
Strength to Weight: Bending, points 47
23 to 45
Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s 41
6.9
Thermal Shock Resistance, points 13
24 to 68

Alloy Composition

Aluminum (Al), % 3.5 to 5.0
0
Carbon (C), % 0
1.3 to 1.4
Chromium (Cr), % 0
3.8 to 4.8
Copper (Cu), % 0 to 0.020
0 to 0.25
Iron (Fe), % 0 to 0.0035
75.9 to 81.4
Magnesium (Mg), % 92.7 to 95.7
0
Manganese (Mn), % 0.35 to 0.7
0.15 to 0.4
Molybdenum (Mo), % 0
4.3 to 5.5
Nickel (Ni), % 0 to 0.0020
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
5.3 to 6.5
Vanadium (V), % 0
3.8 to 4.5
Zinc (Zn), % 0 to 0.12
0