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AZ91A Magnesium vs. SAE-AISI M52 Steel

AZ91A magnesium belongs to the magnesium alloys classification, while SAE-AISI M52 steel belongs to the iron alloys. There are 23 material properties with values for both materials. Properties with values for just one material (11, 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 M52 steel.

Metric UnitsUS Customary Units

Mechanical Properties

Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa 46
190
Poisson's Ratio 0.29
0.29
Shear Modulus, GPa 18
75
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa 240
710 to 2280

Thermal Properties

Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g 360
260
Melting Completion (Liquidus), °C 600
1510
Melting Onset (Solidus), °C 470
1470
Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K 990
460
Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K 73
31
Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K 26
13

Electrical Properties

Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume, % IACS 10
8.9
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific), % IACS 52
10

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Base Metal Price, % relative 12
12
Density, g/cm3 1.7
7.9
Embodied Carbon, kg CO2/kg material 22
7.5
Embodied Energy, MJ/kg 160
110
Embodied Water, L/kg 990
89

Common Calculations

Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points 15
14
Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points 69
24
Strength to Weight: Axial, points 38
25 to 80
Strength to Weight: Bending, points 49
22 to 49
Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s 42
8.4
Thermal Shock Resistance, points 14
21 to 67

Alloy Composition

Aluminum (Al), % 8.3 to 9.7
0
Carbon (C), % 0
0.85 to 1.0
Chromium (Cr), % 0
3.5 to 4.3
Copper (Cu), % 0 to 0.1
0 to 0.25
Iron (Fe), % 0
84.4 to 88.9
Magnesium (Mg), % 88.2 to 91.2
0
Manganese (Mn), % 0.13 to 0.5
0.15 to 0.45
Molybdenum (Mo), % 0
4.0 to 4.9
Nickel (Ni), % 0 to 0.030
0 to 0.3
Phosphorus (P), % 0
0 to 0.030
Silicon (Si), % 0 to 0.5
0.2 to 0.6
Sulfur (S), % 0
0 to 0.030
Tungsten (W), % 0
0.75 to 1.5
Vanadium (V), % 0
1.7 to 2.3
Zinc (Zn), % 0.35 to 1.0
0