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ASTM A732 Cast Steel vs. WE54A Magnesium

ASTM A732 cast steel belongs to the iron alloys classification, while WE54A magnesium belongs to the magnesium alloys. There are 30 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 A732 cast steel and the bottom bar is WE54A magnesium.

Metric UnitsUS Customary Units

Mechanical Properties

Brinell Hardness 140 to 440
85
Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa 190
44
Elongation at Break, % 4.0 to 25
4.3 to 5.6
Fatigue Strength, MPa 230 to 750
98 to 130
Poisson's Ratio 0.29
0.29
Shear Modulus, GPa 72 to 73
17
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa 460 to 1470
270 to 300
Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof), MPa 310 to 1340
180

Thermal Properties

Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g 250 to 260
330
Maximum Temperature: Mechanical, °C 400 to 430
170
Melting Completion (Liquidus), °C 1440 to 1460
640
Melting Onset (Solidus), °C 1400 to 1420
570
Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K 470 to 480
960
Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K 39 to 50
52
Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K 13
25

Electrical Properties

Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume, % IACS 7.1 to 7.7
10
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific), % IACS 8.2 to 8.9
47

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Base Metal Price, % relative 2.0 to 3.8
34
Density, g/cm3 7.8 to 7.9
1.9
Embodied Carbon, kg CO2/kg material 1.4 to 1.7
29
Embodied Energy, MJ/kg 19 to 24
260
Embodied Water, L/kg 47 to 54
900

Common Calculations

Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work), MJ/m3 45 to 130
10 to 14
Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience), kJ/m3 260 to 4770
360 to 380
Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points 13
13
Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points 24
62
Strength to Weight: Axial, points 16 to 52
39 to 43
Strength to Weight: Bending, points 17 to 37
49 to 51
Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s 10 to 14
28
Thermal Shock Resistance, points 14 to 43
18 to 19