ASTM A231 Spring Steel vs. Automotive Malleable Cast Iron
Both ASTM A231 spring steel and automotive malleable cast iron are iron alloys. They have a very high 97% of their average alloy composition in common. There are 27 material properties with values for both materials. Properties with values for just one material (5, in this case) are not shown.
For each property being compared, the top bar is ASTM A231 spring steel and the bottom bar is automotive malleable cast iron.
Metric UnitsUS Customary Units
Mechanical Properties
| Brinell Hardness | 540 | |
| 130 to 290 |
| Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa | 190 | |
| 180 |
| Elongation at Break, % | 14 | |
| 1.0 to 10 |
| Poisson's Ratio | 0.29 | |
| 0.29 |
| Shear Modulus, GPa | 73 | |
| 70 |
| Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa | 1790 | |
| 350 to 720 |
| Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof), MPa | 1570 | |
| 220 to 590 |
Thermal Properties
| Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g | 250 | |
| 260 |
| Melting Completion (Liquidus), °C | 1460 | |
| 1410 |
| Melting Onset (Solidus), °C | 1410 | |
| 1370 |
| Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K | 470 | |
| 480 |
| Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K | 52 | |
| 41 |
| Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K | 13 | |
| 14 |
Electrical Properties
| Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume, % IACS | 7.3 | |
| 7.4 |
| Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific), % IACS | 8.4 | |
| 8.7 |
Otherwise Unclassified Properties
| Base Metal Price, % relative | 2.3 | |
| 1.9 |
| Density, g/cm3 | 7.8 | |
| 7.6 |
| Embodied Carbon, kg CO2/kg material | 2.0 | |
| 1.5 |
| Embodied Energy, MJ/kg | 28 | |
| 20 |
| Embodied Water, L/kg | 51 | |
| 45 |
Common Calculations
| Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work), MJ/m3 | 230 | |
| 6.8 to 30 |
| Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points | 13 | |
| 13 |
| Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points | 24 | |
| 25 |
| Strength to Weight: Axial, points | 64 | |
| 13 to 26 |
| Strength to Weight: Bending, points | 42 | |
| 14 to 24 |
| Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s | 14 | |
| 11 |
| Thermal Shock Resistance, points | 53 | |
| 9.9 to 21 |
Alloy Composition
| Carbon (C), % | 0.48 to 0.53 | |
| 2.2 to 2.9 |
| Chromium (Cr), % | 0.8 to 1.1 | |
| 0 |
| Iron (Fe), % | 96.7 to 97.7 | |
| 93.6 to 96.7 |
| Manganese (Mn), % | 0.7 to 0.9 | |
| 0.15 to 1.3 |
| Phosphorus (P), % | 0 to 0.040 | |
| 0.020 to 0.15 |
| Silicon (Si), % | 0.15 to 0.35 | |
| 0.9 to 1.9 |
| Sulfur (S), % | 0 to 0.040 | |
| 0.020 to 0.2 |
| Vanadium (V), % | 0.15 to 0.3 | |
| 0 |