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AZ91A Magnesium vs. SAE-AISI S5 Steel

AZ91A magnesium belongs to the magnesium alloys classification, while SAE-AISI S5 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 S5 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
72
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa 240
680 to 1940

Thermal Properties

Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g 360
280
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
42
Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K 26
12

Electrical Properties

Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume, % IACS 10
7.4
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific), % IACS 52
8.7

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Base Metal Price, % relative 12
3.1
Density, g/cm3 1.7
7.7
Embodied Carbon, kg CO2/kg material 22
2.1
Embodied Energy, MJ/kg 160
29
Embodied Water, L/kg 990
51

Common Calculations

Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points 15
13
Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points 69
25
Strength to Weight: Axial, points 38
25 to 70
Strength to Weight: Bending, points 49
22 to 45
Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s 42
11
Thermal Shock Resistance, points 14
23 to 65

Alloy Composition

Aluminum (Al), % 8.3 to 9.7
0
Carbon (C), % 0
0.5 to 0.65
Chromium (Cr), % 0
0 to 0.5
Copper (Cu), % 0 to 0.1
0 to 0.25
Iron (Fe), % 0
93.6 to 97
Magnesium (Mg), % 88.2 to 91.2
0
Manganese (Mn), % 0.13 to 0.5
0.6 to 1.0
Molybdenum (Mo), % 0
0.2 to 1.4
Nickel (Ni), % 0 to 0.030
0
Phosphorus (P), % 0
0 to 0.030
Silicon (Si), % 0 to 0.5
1.8 to 2.3
Sulfur (S), % 0
0 to 0.030
Vanadium (V), % 0
0 to 0.35
Zinc (Zn), % 0.35 to 1.0
0