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ASTM A285 Carbon Steel vs. WE54A Magnesium

ASTM A285 carbon steel belongs to the iron alloys classification, while WE54A magnesium belongs to the magnesium alloys. There are 31 material properties with values for both materials. Properties with values for just one material (1, 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 ASTM A285 carbon steel and the bottom bar is WE54A magnesium.

Metric UnitsUS Customary Units

Mechanical Properties

Brinell Hardness 110 to 130
85
Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa 190
44
Elongation at Break, % 30 to 34
4.3 to 5.6
Fatigue Strength, MPa 150 to 180
98 to 130
Poisson's Ratio 0.29
0.29
Shear Modulus, GPa 73
17
Shear Strength, MPa 250 to 290
150 to 170
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa 380 to 450
270 to 300
Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof), MPa 190 to 230
180

Thermal Properties

Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g 250
330
Maximum Temperature: Mechanical, °C 400
170
Melting Completion (Liquidus), °C 1470
640
Melting Onset (Solidus), °C 1420 to 1430
570
Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K 470
960
Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K 53
52
Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K 12
25

Electrical Properties

Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume, % IACS 7.0
10
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific), % IACS 8.0
47

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Base Metal Price, % relative 1.8
34
Density, g/cm3 7.9
1.9
Embodied Carbon, kg CO2/kg material 1.4
29
Embodied Energy, MJ/kg 18
260
Embodied Water, L/kg 46
900

Common Calculations

Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work), MJ/m3 110
10 to 14
Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience), kJ/m3 94 to 150
360 to 380
Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points 13
13
Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points 24
62
Strength to Weight: Axial, points 13 to 16
39 to 43
Strength to Weight: Bending, points 15 to 17
49 to 51
Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s 14
28
Thermal Shock Resistance, points 12 to 14
18 to 19