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Grade VDC Steel vs. Zamak 3

Grade VDC steel belongs to the iron alloys classification, while Zamak 3 belongs to the zinc alloys. There are 25 material properties with values for both materials. Properties with values for just one material (12, in this case) are not shown.

For each property being compared, the top bar is grade VDC steel and the bottom bar is Zamak 3.

Metric UnitsUS Customary Units

Mechanical Properties

Brinell Hardness 510
83
Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa 190
86
Poisson's Ratio 0.29
0.25
Shear Modulus, GPa 80
33
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa 1700
280

Thermal Properties

Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g 250
120
Maximum Temperature: Mechanical, °C 400
95
Melting Completion (Liquidus), °C 1450
390
Melting Onset (Solidus), °C 1410
380
Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K 470
410
Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K 51
110
Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K 13
27

Electrical Properties

Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume, % IACS 7.1
27
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific), % IACS 8.1
38

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Base Metal Price, % relative 1.9
11
Density, g/cm3 7.8
6.4
Embodied Carbon, kg CO2/kg material 1.4
3.0
Embodied Energy, MJ/kg 19
57
Embodied Water, L/kg 47
380

Common Calculations

Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points 13
7.5
Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points 24
23
Strength to Weight: Axial, points 60
12
Strength to Weight: Bending, points 40
15
Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s 14
43
Thermal Shock Resistance, points 50
8.6

Alloy Composition

Aluminum (Al), % 0
3.5 to 4.3
Cadmium (Cd), % 0
0 to 0.0050
Carbon (C), % 0.6 to 0.75
0
Chromium (Cr), % 0 to 0.3
0
Copper (Cu), % 0 to 0.060
0 to 0.25
Iron (Fe), % 98.3 to 99.35
0 to 0.1
Lead (Pb), % 0
0 to 0.0050
Magnesium (Mg), % 0
0.020 to 0.060
Manganese (Mn), % 0.5 to 1.0
0
Nickel (Ni), % 0
0 to 0.020
Phosphorus (P), % 0 to 0.020
0
Silicon (Si), % 0.15 to 0.3
0 to 0.030
Sulfur (S), % 0 to 0.020
0
Tin (Sn), % 0
0 to 0.0030
Zinc (Zn), % 0
95.3 to 96.5