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SAE-AISI 5120 Steel vs. ASTM A231 Spring Steel

Both SAE-AISI 5120 steel and ASTM A231 spring steel are iron alloys. Their average alloy composition is basically identical. There are 30 material properties with values for both materials. Properties with values for just one material (2, in this case) are not shown.

For each property being compared, the top bar is SAE-AISI 5120 steel and the bottom bar is ASTM A231 spring steel.

Metric UnitsUS Customary Units

Mechanical Properties

Brinell Hardness 150
540
Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa 190
190
Elongation at Break, % 16
14
Fatigue Strength, MPa 210
1000
Poisson's Ratio 0.29
0.29
Shear Modulus, GPa 73
73
Shear Strength, MPa 310
1080
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa 500
1790
Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof), MPa 320
1570

Thermal Properties

Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g 250
250
Maximum Temperature: Mechanical, °C 420
420
Melting Completion (Liquidus), °C 1460
1460
Melting Onset (Solidus), °C 1420
1410
Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K 470
470
Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K 47
52
Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K 12
13

Electrical Properties

Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume, % IACS 7.2
7.3
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific), % IACS 8.2
8.4

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Base Metal Price, % relative 2.1
2.3
Density, g/cm3 7.8
7.8
Embodied Carbon, kg CO2/kg material 1.4
2.0
Embodied Energy, MJ/kg 19
28
Embodied Water, L/kg 49
51

Common Calculations

Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work), MJ/m3 71
230
Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points 13
13
Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points 24
24
Strength to Weight: Axial, points 18
64
Strength to Weight: Bending, points 18
42
Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s 13
14
Thermal Shock Resistance, points 16
53

Alloy Composition

Carbon (C), % 0.17 to 0.22
0.48 to 0.53
Chromium (Cr), % 0.7 to 0.9
0.8 to 1.1
Iron (Fe), % 97.6 to 98.3
96.7 to 97.7
Manganese (Mn), % 0.7 to 0.9
0.7 to 0.9
Phosphorus (P), % 0 to 0.035
0 to 0.040
Silicon (Si), % 0.15 to 0.35
0.15 to 0.35
Sulfur (S), % 0 to 0.040
0 to 0.040
Vanadium (V), % 0
0.15 to 0.3