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AZ81A Magnesium vs. ASTM A285 Carbon Steel

AZ81A magnesium belongs to the magnesium alloys classification, while ASTM A285 carbon steel belongs to the iron alloys. There are 31 material properties with values for both materials. Properties with values for just one material (2, 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 AZ81A magnesium and the bottom bar is ASTM A285 carbon steel.

Metric UnitsUS Customary Units

Mechanical Properties

Brinell Hardness 55
110 to 130
Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa 46
190
Elongation at Break, % 3.0 to 8.8
30 to 34
Fatigue Strength, MPa 78 to 80
150 to 180
Poisson's Ratio 0.29
0.29
Shear Modulus, GPa 18
73
Shear Strength, MPa 91 to 130
250 to 290
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa 160 to 240
380 to 450
Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof), MPa 84
190 to 230

Thermal Properties

Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g 350
250
Maximum Temperature: Mechanical, °C 130
400
Melting Completion (Liquidus), °C 600
1470
Melting Onset (Solidus), °C 500
1420 to 1430
Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K 990
470
Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K 84
53
Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K 27
12

Electrical Properties

Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume, % IACS 12
7.0
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific), % IACS 65
8.0

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Base Metal Price, % relative 12
1.8
Density, g/cm3 1.7
7.9
Embodied Carbon, kg CO2/kg material 23
1.4
Embodied Energy, MJ/kg 160
18
Embodied Water, L/kg 990
46

Common Calculations

Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work), MJ/m3 4.0 to 17
110
Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience), kJ/m3 77 to 78
94 to 150
Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points 15
13
Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points 70
24
Strength to Weight: Axial, points 26 to 39
13 to 16
Strength to Weight: Bending, points 38 to 50
15 to 17
Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s 50
14
Thermal Shock Resistance, points 9.1 to 14
12 to 14