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WE54A (M18410) Magnesium

WE54A magnesium is a magnesium alloy. WE54A is the ASTM designation for this material. M18410 is the UNS number. Additionally, the ISO numeric designation is WD95350.

It has a very high embodied energy among magnesium alloys. In addition, it has a fairly high base cost and a very low electrical conductivity.

The properties of WE54A magnesium include two common variations. This page shows summary ranges across both of them. For more specific values, follow the links immediately below. The graph bars on the material properties cards further below compare WE54A magnesium to other magnesium alloys (top) and the entire database (bottom). A full bar means this is the highest value in the relevant set. A half-full bar means it's 50% of the highest, and so on.

Mechanical Properties

Brinell Hardness

85

Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus

44 GPa 6.4 x 106 psi

Elongation at Break

4.3 to 5.6 %

Fatigue Strength

98 to 130 MPa 14 to 19 x 103 psi

Poisson's Ratio

0.29

Shear Modulus

17 GPa 2.5 x 106 psi

Shear Strength

150 to 170 MPa 22 to 25 x 103 psi

Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS)

270 to 300 MPa 39 to 43 x 103 psi

Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof)

180 MPa 26 to 27 x 103 psi

Thermal Properties

Latent Heat of Fusion

330 J/g

Maximum Temperature: Mechanical

170 °C 340 °F

Melting Completion (Liquidus)

640 °C 1180 °F

Melting Onset (Solidus)

570 °C 1060 °F

Solidification (Pattern Maker's) Shrinkage

1.6 %

Specific Heat Capacity

960 J/kg-K 0.23 BTU/lb-°F

Thermal Conductivity

52 W/m-K 30 BTU/h-ft-°F

Thermal Expansion

25 µm/m-K

Electrical Properties

Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume

10 % IACS

Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific)

47 % IACS

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Base Metal Price

34 % relative

Density

1.9 g/cm3 120 lb/ft3

Embodied Carbon

29 kg CO2/kg material

Embodied Energy

260 MJ/kg 110 x 103 BTU/lb

Embodied Water

900 L/kg 110 gal/lb

Common Calculations

Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work)

10 to 14 MJ/m3

Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience)

360 to 380 kJ/m3

Stiffness to Weight: Axial

13 points

Stiffness to Weight: Bending

62 points

Strength to Weight: Axial

39 to 43 points

Strength to Weight: Bending

49 to 51 points

Thermal Diffusivity

28 mm2/s

Thermal Shock Resistance

18 to 19 points

Alloy Composition

Magnesium (Mg)Mg 88.7 to 93.4
Yttrium (Y)Y 4.8 to 5.5
Zirconium (Zr)Zr 0.4 to 1.0
Zinc (Zn)Zn 0 to 0.2
Lithium (Li)Li 0 to 0.2
Manganese (Mn)Mn 0 to 0.030
Copper (Cu)Cu 0 to 0.030
Silicon (Si)Si 0 to 0.010
Iron (Fe)Fe 0 to 0.010
Nickel (Ni)Ni 0 to 0.0050
Unspecified Rare Earthsrare e. 1.5 to 4.0
Residualsres. 0 to 0.3

All values are % weight. Ranges represent what is permitted under applicable standards.

Followup Questions

Similar Alloys

Further Reading

Magnesium Alloys Containing Rare Earth Metals: Structure and Properties, L.L. Rokhlin, 2003

ISO 3116: Magnesium and magnesium alloys - Wrought magnesium alloys

ASTM B80: Standard Specification for Magnesium-Alloy Sand Castings

Essential Readings in Magnesium Technology, Suveen N. Mathaudhu et al. (editors), 2014

Environmental Degradation of Advanced and Traditional Engineering Materials, Lloyd H. Hihara et al., 2014.

Advanced Materials in Automotive Engineering, Jason Rowe (editor), 2012

Properties and Selection: Nonferrous Alloys and Special-Purpose Materials, ASM Handbook vol. 2, ASM International, 1993