MakeItFrom.com
Menu (ESC)

SAE-AISI M46 Steel vs. ZK61A Magnesium

SAE-AISI M46 steel belongs to the iron alloys classification, while ZK61A magnesium belongs to the magnesium alloys. There are 21 material properties with values for both materials. Properties with values for just one material (11, 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 SAE-AISI M46 steel and the bottom bar is ZK61A magnesium.

Metric UnitsUS Customary Units

Mechanical Properties

Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa 200
46
Poisson's Ratio 0.29
0.29
Shear Modulus, GPa 77
18
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa 800 to 2300
290 to 310

Thermal Properties

Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g 270
330
Melting Completion (Liquidus), °C 1540
640
Melting Onset (Solidus), °C 1500
530
Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K 450
960
Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K 18
120
Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K 12
27

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Base Metal Price, % relative 33
13
Density, g/cm3 8.1
1.9
Embodied Carbon, kg CO2/kg material 12
23
Embodied Energy, MJ/kg 180
160
Embodied Water, L/kg 150
940

Common Calculations

Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points 14
13
Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points 24
62
Strength to Weight: Axial, points 27 to 78
42 to 45
Strength to Weight: Bending, points 24 to 48
50 to 53
Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s 4.9
65
Thermal Shock Resistance, points 25 to 71
17 to 18

Alloy Composition

Carbon (C), % 1.2 to 1.3
0
Chromium (Cr), % 3.7 to 4.2
0
Cobalt (Co), % 7.8 to 8.8
0
Copper (Cu), % 0 to 0.25
0 to 0.1
Iron (Fe), % 70 to 73.8
0
Magnesium (Mg), % 0
92.1 to 93.9
Manganese (Mn), % 0.2 to 0.4
0
Molybdenum (Mo), % 8.0 to 8.5
0
Nickel (Ni), % 0 to 0.3
0 to 0.010
Phosphorus (P), % 0 to 0.030
0
Silicon (Si), % 0.4 to 0.65
0
Sulfur (S), % 0 to 0.030
0
Tungsten (W), % 1.9 to 2.2
0
Vanadium (V), % 3.0 to 3.3
0
Zinc (Zn), % 0
5.5 to 6.5
Zirconium (Zr), % 0
0.6 to 1.0
Residuals, % 0
0 to 0.3