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Automotive Malleable Cast Iron vs. ZK51A Magnesium

Automotive malleable cast iron belongs to the iron alloys classification, while ZK51A magnesium belongs to the magnesium alloys. There are 27 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 automotive malleable cast iron and the bottom bar is ZK51A magnesium.

Metric UnitsUS Customary Units

Mechanical Properties

Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa 180
45
Elongation at Break, % 1.0 to 10
4.7
Poisson's Ratio 0.29
0.29
Shear Modulus, GPa 70
18
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa 350 to 720
240
Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof), MPa 220 to 590
150

Thermal Properties

Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g 260
340
Melting Completion (Liquidus), °C 1410
640
Melting Onset (Solidus), °C 1370
550
Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K 480
970
Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K 41
110
Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K 14
26

Electrical Properties

Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume, % IACS 7.4
28
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific), % IACS 8.7
140

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Base Metal Price, % relative 1.9
13
Density, g/cm3 7.6
1.8
Embodied Carbon, kg CO2/kg material 1.5
24
Embodied Energy, MJ/kg 20
160
Embodied Water, L/kg 45
940

Common Calculations

Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work), MJ/m3 6.8 to 30
10
Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience), kJ/m3 130 to 950
260
Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points 13
14
Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points 25
64
Strength to Weight: Axial, points 13 to 26
36
Strength to Weight: Bending, points 14 to 24
47
Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s 11
61
Thermal Shock Resistance, points 9.9 to 21
15

Alloy Composition

Carbon (C), % 2.2 to 2.9
0
Copper (Cu), % 0
0 to 0.1
Iron (Fe), % 93.6 to 96.7
0
Magnesium (Mg), % 0
93.1 to 95.9
Manganese (Mn), % 0.15 to 1.3
0
Nickel (Ni), % 0
0 to 0.010
Phosphorus (P), % 0.020 to 0.15
0
Silicon (Si), % 0.9 to 1.9
0
Sulfur (S), % 0.020 to 0.2
0
Zinc (Zn), % 0
3.6 to 5.5
Zirconium (Zr), % 0
0.5 to 1.0
Residuals, % 0
0 to 0.3