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AZ91A Magnesium vs. SAE-AISI D7 Steel

AZ91A magnesium belongs to the magnesium alloys classification, while SAE-AISI D7 steel belongs to the iron alloys. There are 21 material properties with values for both materials. Properties with values for just one material (13, 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 SAE-AISI D7 steel.

Metric UnitsUS Customary Units

Mechanical Properties

Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa 46
190
Poisson's Ratio 0.29
0.28
Shear Modulus, GPa 18
73
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa 240
800 to 2120

Thermal Properties

Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g 360
270
Melting Completion (Liquidus), °C 600
1440
Melting Onset (Solidus), °C 470
1400
Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K 990
480
Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K 73
27
Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K 26
11

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Base Metal Price, % relative 12
10
Density, g/cm3 1.7
7.6
Embodied Carbon, kg CO2/kg material 22
11
Embodied Energy, MJ/kg 160
180
Embodied Water, L/kg 990
130

Common Calculations

Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points 15
14
Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points 69
25
Strength to Weight: Axial, points 38
29 to 78
Strength to Weight: Bending, points 49
25 to 48
Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s 42
7.4
Thermal Shock Resistance, points 14
27 to 72

Alloy Composition

Aluminum (Al), % 8.3 to 9.7
0
Carbon (C), % 0
2.2 to 2.5
Chromium (Cr), % 0
11.5 to 13.5
Copper (Cu), % 0 to 0.1
0 to 0.25
Iron (Fe), % 0
76.6 to 81.9
Magnesium (Mg), % 88.2 to 91.2
0
Manganese (Mn), % 0.13 to 0.5
0 to 0.6
Molybdenum (Mo), % 0
0.7 to 1.2
Nickel (Ni), % 0 to 0.030
0 to 0.3
Phosphorus (P), % 0
0 to 0.030
Silicon (Si), % 0 to 0.5
0 to 0.6
Sulfur (S), % 0
0 to 0.030
Vanadium (V), % 0
3.8 to 4.4
Zinc (Zn), % 0.35 to 1.0
0