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AZ91A Magnesium vs. SAE-AISI H21 Steel

AZ91A magnesium belongs to the magnesium alloys classification, while SAE-AISI H21 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 H21 steel.

Metric UnitsUS Customary Units

Mechanical Properties

Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa 46
200
Poisson's Ratio 0.29
0.29
Shear Modulus, GPa 18
76
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa 240
720 to 1790

Thermal Properties

Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g 360
250
Melting Completion (Liquidus), °C 600
1630
Melting Onset (Solidus), °C 470
1580
Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K 990
440
Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K 73
27
Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K 26
11

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Base Metal Price, % relative 12
23
Density, g/cm3 1.7
8.5
Embodied Carbon, kg CO2/kg material 22
4.5
Embodied Energy, MJ/kg 160
68
Embodied Water, L/kg 990
72

Common Calculations

Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points 15
13
Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points 69
23
Strength to Weight: Axial, points 38
23 to 58
Strength to Weight: Bending, points 49
21 to 38
Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s 42
7.1
Thermal Shock Resistance, points 14
24 to 59

Alloy Composition

Aluminum (Al), % 8.3 to 9.7
0
Carbon (C), % 0
0.28 to 0.36
Chromium (Cr), % 0
3.0 to 3.8
Copper (Cu), % 0 to 0.1
0 to 0.25
Iron (Fe), % 0
87.6 to 93.8
Magnesium (Mg), % 88.2 to 91.2
0
Manganese (Mn), % 0.13 to 0.5
0.15 to 0.4
Nickel (Ni), % 0 to 0.030
0 to 0.3
Phosphorus (P), % 0
0 to 0.030
Silicon (Si), % 0 to 0.5
0.15 to 0.5
Sulfur (S), % 0
0 to 0.030
Tungsten (W), % 0
8.5 to 10
Vanadium (V), % 0
0.3 to 0.6
Zinc (Zn), % 0.35 to 1.0
0