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ASTM A588 Steel vs. AZ91B Magnesium

ASTM A588 steel belongs to the iron alloys classification, while AZ91B magnesium belongs to the magnesium alloys. There are 31 material properties with values for both materials. Properties with values for just one material (2, 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 A588 steel and the bottom bar is AZ91B magnesium.

Metric UnitsUS Customary Units

Mechanical Properties

Brinell Hardness 170
63
Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa 190
46
Elongation at Break, % 22
5.0
Fatigue Strength, MPa 270
79
Poisson's Ratio 0.29
0.29
Shear Modulus, GPa 73
18
Shear Strength, MPa 350
140
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa 550
240
Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof), MPa 390
160

Thermal Properties

Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g 250 to 260
360
Maximum Temperature: Mechanical, °C 410
130
Melting Completion (Liquidus), °C 1460
600
Melting Onset (Solidus), °C 1410 to 1420
470
Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K 470
990
Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K 43 to 44
73
Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K 13
26

Electrical Properties

Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume, % IACS 7.4
11
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific), % IACS 8.5
58

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Base Metal Price, % relative 2.3 to 2.5
12
Density, g/cm3 7.8
1.7
Embodied Carbon, kg CO2/kg material 1.5 to 1.6
22
Embodied Energy, MJ/kg 20 to 22
160
Embodied Water, L/kg 50 to 51
990

Common Calculations

Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work), MJ/m3 110
11
Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience), kJ/m3 400
280
Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points 13
15
Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points 24
69
Strength to Weight: Axial, points 20
38
Strength to Weight: Bending, points 19
49
Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s 12
42
Thermal Shock Resistance, points 16
14