Commercially Pure Zirconium vs. SAE-AISI M48 Steel

Commercially pure zirconium belongs to the otherwise unclassified metals classification, while SAE-AISI M48 steel belongs to the iron alloys. There are 14 material properties with values for both materials. Properties with values for just one material (13, in this case) are not shown.

For each property being compared, the top bar is commercially pure zirconium and the bottom bar is SAE-AISI M48 steel.

Commercially Pure (Unalloyed, R60702) Zirconium SAE-AISI M48 (T11348) Cobalt High-Speed Steel

Metric UnitsUS Customary Units

Mechanical Properties

Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa		98
Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa		200

Poisson's Ratio		0.34
Poisson's Ratio		0.29

Shear Modulus, GPa		36
Shear Modulus, GPa		78

Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa		430
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa		890 to 2390

Thermal Properties

Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g		250
Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g		260

Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K		270
Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K		420

Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K		5.5
Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K		12

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Density, g/cm³		6.7
Density, g/cm³		8.7

Embodied Water, L/kg		450
Embodied Water, L/kg		160

Common Calculations

Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points		8.1
Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points		13

Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points		23
Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points		22

Strength to Weight: Axial, points		18
Strength to Weight: Axial, points		28 to 76

Strength to Weight: Bending, points		19
Strength to Weight: Bending, points		23 to 45

Thermal Shock Resistance, points		56
Thermal Shock Resistance, points		26 to 71

Alloy Composition

Carbon (C), %		0 to 0.050
Carbon (C), %		1.4 to 1.5

Chromium (Cr), %		0 to 0.2
Chromium (Cr), %		3.5 to 4.0

Cobalt (Co), %		0
Cobalt (Co), %		8.0 to 10

Copper (Cu), %		0
Copper (Cu), %		0 to 0.25

Hafnium (Hf), %		0 to 4.5
Hafnium (Hf), %		0

Hydrogen (H), %		0 to 0.0050
Hydrogen (H), %		0

Iron (Fe), %		0 to 0.2
Iron (Fe), %		63.8 to 69.8

Manganese (Mn), %		0
Manganese (Mn), %		0.15 to 0.4

Molybdenum (Mo), %		0
Molybdenum (Mo), %		4.8 to 5.5

Nickel (Ni), %		0
Nickel (Ni), %		0 to 0.3

Nitrogen (N), %		0 to 0.025
Nitrogen (N), %		0

Oxygen (O), %		0 to 0.16
Oxygen (O), %		0

Phosphorus (P), %		0
Phosphorus (P), %		0 to 0.030

Silicon (Si), %		0
Silicon (Si), %		0.15 to 0.4

Sulfur (S), %		0
Sulfur (S), %		0 to 0.030

Tungsten (W), %		0
Tungsten (W), %		9.5 to 10.5

Vanadium (V), %		0
Vanadium (V), %		2.8 to 3.3

Zirconium (Zr), %		94.7 to 100
Zirconium (Zr), %		0