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AM60B Magnesium vs. SAE-AISI 4340M Steel

AM60B magnesium belongs to the magnesium alloys classification, while SAE-AISI 4340M steel belongs to the iron alloys. There are 31 material properties with values for both materials. Properties with values for just one material (4, 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 AM60B magnesium and the bottom bar is SAE-AISI 4340M steel.

Metric UnitsUS Customary Units

Mechanical Properties

Brinell Hardness 62
710
Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa 45
190
Elongation at Break, % 11
6.0
Fatigue Strength, MPa 96
690
Poisson's Ratio 0.29
0.29
Shear Modulus, GPa 17
72
Shear Strength, MPa 140
1360
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa 230
2340
Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof), MPa 130
1240

Thermal Properties

Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g 350
280
Maximum Temperature: Mechanical, °C 120
430
Melting Completion (Liquidus), °C 620
1440
Melting Onset (Solidus), °C 540
1400
Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K 1000
480
Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K 61
38
Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K 26
13

Electrical Properties

Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume, % IACS 13
7.8
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific), % IACS 72
9.1

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Base Metal Price, % relative 12
3.9
Density, g/cm3 1.7
7.8
Embodied Carbon, kg CO2/kg material 23
1.9
Embodied Energy, MJ/kg 160
26
Embodied Water, L/kg 990
55

Common Calculations

Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work), MJ/m3 21
120
Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience), kJ/m3 190
4120
Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points 15
13
Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points 71
25
Strength to Weight: Axial, points 38
84
Strength to Weight: Bending, points 50
51
Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s 37
10
Thermal Shock Resistance, points 14
70

Alloy Composition

Aluminum (Al), % 5.5 to 6.5
0
Carbon (C), % 0
0.38 to 0.43
Chromium (Cr), % 0
0.7 to 1.0
Copper (Cu), % 0 to 0.010
0
Iron (Fe), % 0 to 0.0050
93.3 to 94.8
Magnesium (Mg), % 92.6 to 94.3
0
Manganese (Mn), % 0.24 to 0.6
0.65 to 0.9
Molybdenum (Mo), % 0
0.35 to 0.45
Nickel (Ni), % 0 to 0.0020
1.7 to 2.0
Phosphorus (P), % 0
0 to 0.012
Silicon (Si), % 0 to 0.1
1.5 to 1.8
Sulfur (S), % 0
0 to 0.012
Vanadium (V), % 0
0.050 to 0.1
Zinc (Zn), % 0 to 0.22
0