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AZ91A Magnesium vs. SAE-AISI M42 Steel

AZ91A magnesium belongs to the magnesium alloys classification, while SAE-AISI M42 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 M42 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
78
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa 240
810 to 2310

Thermal Properties

Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g 360
270
Melting Completion (Liquidus), °C 600
1540
Melting Onset (Solidus), °C 470
1490
Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K 990
450
Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K 73
20
Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K 26
12

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Base Metal Price, % relative 12
30
Density, g/cm3 1.7
8.2
Embodied Carbon, kg CO2/kg material 22
7.4
Embodied Energy, MJ/kg 160
100
Embodied Water, L/kg 990
140

Common Calculations

Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points 15
14
Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points 69
24
Strength to Weight: Axial, points 38
28 to 79
Strength to Weight: Bending, points 49
24 to 48
Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s 42
5.4
Thermal Shock Resistance, points 14
25 to 71

Alloy Composition

Aluminum (Al), % 8.3 to 9.7
0
Carbon (C), % 0
1.1 to 1.2
Chromium (Cr), % 0
3.5 to 4.3
Cobalt (Co), % 0
7.8 to 8.8
Copper (Cu), % 0 to 0.1
0 to 0.25
Iron (Fe), % 0
76.3 to 81
Magnesium (Mg), % 88.2 to 91.2
0
Manganese (Mn), % 0.13 to 0.5
0.15 to 0.4
Molybdenum (Mo), % 0
9.0 to 10
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 0.65
Sulfur (S), % 0
0 to 0.030
Tungsten (W), % 0
1.2 to 1.9
Vanadium (V), % 0
1.0 to 1.4
Zinc (Zn), % 0.35 to 1.0
0