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WE43B Magnesium vs. Zamak 3

WE43B magnesium belongs to the magnesium alloys classification, while Zamak 3 belongs to the zinc alloys. There are 31 material properties with values for both materials. Properties with values for just one material (5, 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 WE43B magnesium and the bottom bar is Zamak 3.

Metric UnitsUS Customary Units

Mechanical Properties

Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa 44
86
Elongation at Break, % 2.2
11
Fatigue Strength, MPa 110
48
Poisson's Ratio 0.29
0.25
Shear Modulus, GPa 17
33
Shear Strength, MPa 140
210
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa 250
280
Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof), MPa 200
210

Thermal Properties

Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g 330
120
Maximum Temperature: Mechanical, °C 180
95
Melting Completion (Liquidus), °C 640
390
Melting Onset (Solidus), °C 550
380
Solidification (Pattern Maker's) Shrinkage, % 1.6
1.2
Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K 960
410
Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K 51
110
Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K 27
27

Electrical Properties

Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume, % IACS 11
27
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific), % IACS 53
38

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Base Metal Price, % relative 34
11
Density, g/cm3 1.9
6.4
Embodied Carbon, kg CO2/kg material 28
3.0
Embodied Energy, MJ/kg 250
57
Embodied Water, L/kg 910
380

Common Calculations

Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work), MJ/m3 5.2
28
Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience), kJ/m3 430
260
Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points 13
7.5
Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points 61
23
Strength to Weight: Axial, points 36
12
Strength to Weight: Bending, points 46
15
Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s 28
43
Thermal Shock Resistance, points 15
8.6

Alloy Composition

Aluminum (Al), % 0
3.5 to 4.3
Cadmium (Cd), % 0
0 to 0.0050
Copper (Cu), % 0 to 0.020
0 to 0.25
Iron (Fe), % 0 to 0.010
0 to 0.1
Lead (Pb), % 0
0 to 0.0050
Lithium (Li), % 0 to 0.2
0
Magnesium (Mg), % 89.8 to 93.5
0.020 to 0.060
Manganese (Mn), % 0 to 0.030
0
Nickel (Ni), % 0 to 0.0050
0 to 0.020
Silicon (Si), % 0
0 to 0.030
Tin (Sn), % 0
0 to 0.0030
Unspecified Rare Earths, % 2.4 to 4.4
0
Yttrium (Y), % 3.7 to 4.3
0
Zinc (Zn), % 0 to 0.2
95.3 to 96.5
Zirconium (Zr), % 0.4 to 1.0
0