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AZ91B Magnesium vs. SAE-AISI M2 Steel

AZ91B magnesium belongs to the magnesium alloys classification, while SAE-AISI M2 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 AZ91B magnesium and the bottom bar is SAE-AISI M2 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
77
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa 240
760 to 2150

Thermal Properties

Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g 360
260
Melting Completion (Liquidus), °C 600
1610
Melting Onset (Solidus), °C 470
1570
Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K 990
440
Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K 73
22
Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K 26
10

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Base Metal Price, % relative 12
24
Density, g/cm3 1.7
8.4
Embodied Carbon, kg CO2/kg material 22
8.8
Embodied Energy, MJ/kg 160
130
Embodied Water, L/kg 990
98

Common Calculations

Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points 15
13
Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points 69
23
Strength to Weight: Axial, points 38
25 to 71
Strength to Weight: Bending, points 49
22 to 44
Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s 42
5.9
Thermal Shock Resistance, points 14
27 to 76

Alloy Composition

Aluminum (Al), % 8.3 to 9.7
0
Carbon (C), % 0
0.78 to 1.1
Chromium (Cr), % 0
3.8 to 4.5
Copper (Cu), % 0 to 0.35
0 to 0.25
Iron (Fe), % 0
78.5 to 83.4
Magnesium (Mg), % 87.9 to 91.2
0
Manganese (Mn), % 0.13 to 0.5
0.15 to 0.4
Molybdenum (Mo), % 0
4.5 to 5.5
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 0.45
Sulfur (S), % 0
0 to 0.030
Tungsten (W), % 0
5.5 to 6.8
Vanadium (V), % 0
1.8 to 2.2
Zinc (Zn), % 0.35 to 1.0
0