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AZ91A Magnesium vs. ASTM Grade HE Steel

AZ91A magnesium belongs to the magnesium alloys classification, while ASTM grade HE steel belongs to the iron alloys. There are 30 material properties with values for both materials. Properties with values for just one material (5, 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 AZ91A magnesium and the bottom bar is ASTM grade HE steel.

Metric UnitsUS Customary Units

Mechanical Properties

Brinell Hardness 63
190
Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa 46
200
Elongation at Break, % 5.0
10
Fatigue Strength, MPa 99
160
Poisson's Ratio 0.29
0.27
Shear Modulus, GPa 18
79
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa 240
670
Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof), MPa 160
310

Thermal Properties

Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g 360
310
Maximum Temperature: Mechanical, °C 130
1100
Melting Completion (Liquidus), °C 600
1400
Melting Onset (Solidus), °C 470
1360
Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K 990
490
Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K 73
14
Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K 26
17

Electrical Properties

Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume, % IACS 10
2.1
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific), % IACS 52
2.5

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Base Metal Price, % relative 12
19
Density, g/cm3 1.7
7.7
Embodied Carbon, kg CO2/kg material 22
3.5
Embodied Energy, MJ/kg 160
50
Embodied Water, L/kg 990
190

Common Calculations

Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work), MJ/m3 11
56
Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience), kJ/m3 280
240
Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points 15
15
Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points 69
25
Strength to Weight: Axial, points 38
24
Strength to Weight: Bending, points 49
22
Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s 42
3.6
Thermal Shock Resistance, points 14
14

Alloy Composition

Aluminum (Al), % 8.3 to 9.7
0
Carbon (C), % 0
0.2 to 0.5
Chromium (Cr), % 0
26 to 30
Copper (Cu), % 0 to 0.1
0
Iron (Fe), % 0
53.9 to 65.8
Magnesium (Mg), % 88.2 to 91.2
0
Manganese (Mn), % 0.13 to 0.5
0 to 2.0
Molybdenum (Mo), % 0
0 to 0.5
Nickel (Ni), % 0 to 0.030
8.0 to 11
Phosphorus (P), % 0
0 to 0.040
Silicon (Si), % 0 to 0.5
0 to 2.0
Sulfur (S), % 0
0 to 0.040
Zinc (Zn), % 0.35 to 1.0
0