Reactor Grade Zirconium vs. SAE-AISI H12 Steel

Reactor grade zirconium belongs to the otherwise unclassified metals classification, while SAE-AISI H12 steel belongs to the iron alloys. There are 16 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 reactor grade zirconium and the bottom bar is SAE-AISI H12 steel.

Reactor Grade (R60001) Zirconium SAE-AISI H12 (T20812) Chromium Hot-Work Steel

Metric UnitsUS Customary Units

Mechanical Properties

Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa		98
Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa		190

Poisson's Ratio		0.34
Poisson's Ratio		0.29

Shear Modulus, GPa		37
Shear Modulus, GPa		75

Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa		330
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa		690 to 1850

Thermal Properties

Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g		250
Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g		270

Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K		270
Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K		470

Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K		22
Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K		36

Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K		5.9
Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K		12

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Density, g/cm³		6.5
Density, g/cm³		7.9

Embodied Water, L/kg		280
Embodied Water, L/kg		76

Common Calculations

Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points		8.4
Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points		14

Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points		24
Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points		24

Strength to Weight: Axial, points		14
Strength to Weight: Axial, points		24 to 65

Strength to Weight: Bending, points		16
Strength to Weight: Bending, points		22 to 42

Thermal Diffusivity, mm²/s		13
Thermal Diffusivity, mm²/s		9.8

Thermal Shock Resistance, points		41
Thermal Shock Resistance, points		22 to 60

Alloy Composition

Deprecated: Automatic conversion of false to array is deprecated in /home/public/compare.php on line 452

Carbon (C), %		0
Carbon (C), %		0.3 to 0.4

Chromium (Cr), %		0
Chromium (Cr), %		4.8 to 5.5

Copper (Cu), %		0
Copper (Cu), %		0 to 0.25

Iron (Fe), %		0
Iron (Fe), %		87.8 to 91.7

Manganese (Mn), %		0
Manganese (Mn), %		0.2 to 0.5

Molybdenum (Mo), %		0
Molybdenum (Mo), %		1.3 to 1.8

Nickel (Ni), %		0
Nickel (Ni), %		0 to 0.3

Phosphorus (P), %		0
Phosphorus (P), %		0 to 0.030

Silicon (Si), %		0
Silicon (Si), %		0.8 to 1.2

Sulfur (S), %		0
Sulfur (S), %		0 to 0.030

Tungsten (W), %		0
Tungsten (W), %		1.0 to 1.7

Vanadium (V), %		0
Vanadium (V), %		0 to 0.5

Zirconium (Zr), %		99.7 to 100
Zirconium (Zr), %		0

Residuals, %		0 to 0.27
Residuals, %		0