SAE-AISI 5160 Steel vs. ASTM A229 Spring Steel
Both SAE-AISI 5160 steel and ASTM A229 spring steel are iron alloys. Their average alloy composition is basically identical.
For each property being compared, the top bar is SAE-AISI 5160 steel and the bottom bar is ASTM A229 spring steel.
Metric UnitsUS Customary Units
Mechanical Properties
| Brinell Hardness | 200 to 340 | |
| 490 to 550 |
| Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa | 190 | |
| 190 |
| Elongation at Break, % | 12 to 18 | |
| 14 |
| Fatigue Strength, MPa | 180 to 650 | |
| 710 to 790 |
| Poisson's Ratio | 0.29 | |
| 0.29 |
| Shear Modulus, GPa | 73 | |
| 72 |
| Shear Strength, MPa | 390 to 700 | |
| 1020 to 1140 |
| Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa | 660 to 1150 | |
| 1690 to 1890 |
| Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof), MPa | 280 to 1010 | |
| 1100 to 1230 |
Thermal Properties
| Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g | 250 | |
| 250 |
| Maximum Temperature: Mechanical, °C | 420 | |
| 400 |
| Melting Completion (Liquidus), °C | 1450 | |
| 1450 |
| Melting Onset (Solidus), °C | 1410 | |
| 1410 |
| Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K | 470 | |
| 470 |
| Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K | 43 | |
| 50 |
| Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K | 13 | |
| 12 |
Electrical Properties
| Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume, % IACS | 7.2 | |
| 7.2 |
| Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific), % IACS | 8.3 | |
| 8.3 |
Otherwise Unclassified Properties
| Base Metal Price, % relative | 2.1 | |
| 1.8 |
| Density, g/cm3 | 7.8 | |
| 7.8 |
| Embodied Carbon, kg CO2/kg material | 1.4 | |
| 1.4 |
| Embodied Energy, MJ/kg | 19 | |
| 19 |
| Embodied Water, L/kg | 50 | |
| 46 |
Common Calculations
| Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work), MJ/m3 | 73 to 160 | |
| 200 to 230 |
| Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience), kJ/m3 | 200 to 2700 | |
| 3260 to 4080 |
| Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points | 13 | |
| 13 |
| Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points | 24 | |
| 24 |
| Strength to Weight: Axial, points | 23 to 41 | |
| 60 to 67 |
| Strength to Weight: Bending, points | 22 to 31 | |
| 40 to 43 |
| Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s | 12 | |
| 14 |
| Thermal Shock Resistance, points | 19 to 34 | |
| 54 to 60 |
Alloy Composition
| Carbon (C), % | 0.56 to 0.61 | |
| 0.55 to 0.85 |
| Chromium (Cr), % | 0.7 to 0.9 | |
| 0 |
| Iron (Fe), % | 97.1 to 97.8 | |
| 97.5 to 99 |
| Manganese (Mn), % | 0.75 to 1.0 | |
| 0.3 to 1.2 |
| Phosphorus (P), % | 0 to 0.035 | |
| 0 to 0.040 |
| Silicon (Si), % | 0.15 to 0.35 | |
| 0.15 to 0.35 |
| Sulfur (S), % | 0 to 0.040 | |
| 0 to 0.050 |