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ZK51A Magnesium vs. ACI-ASTM CA15 Steel

ZK51A magnesium belongs to the magnesium alloys classification, while ACI-ASTM CA15 steel belongs to the iron alloys. There are 29 material properties with values for both materials. Properties with values for just one material (6, 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 ZK51A magnesium and the bottom bar is ACI-ASTM CA15 steel.

Metric UnitsUS Customary Units

Mechanical Properties

Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa 45
190
Elongation at Break, % 4.7
21
Fatigue Strength, MPa 62
370
Poisson's Ratio 0.29
0.28
Shear Modulus, GPa 18
76
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa 240
700
Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof), MPa 150
570

Thermal Properties

Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g 340
280
Maximum Temperature: Mechanical, °C 120
750
Melting Completion (Liquidus), °C 640
1440
Melting Onset (Solidus), °C 550
1500
Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K 970
480
Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K 110
25
Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K 26
10

Electrical Properties

Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume, % IACS 28
3.0
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific), % IACS 140
3.5

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Base Metal Price, % relative 13
7.5
Density, g/cm3 1.8
7.7
Embodied Carbon, kg CO2/kg material 24
2.0
Embodied Energy, MJ/kg 160
28
Embodied Water, L/kg 940
100

Common Calculations

Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work), MJ/m3 10
140
Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience), kJ/m3 260
820
Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points 14
14
Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points 64
25
Strength to Weight: Axial, points 36
25
Strength to Weight: Bending, points 47
23
Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s 61
6.7
Thermal Shock Resistance, points 15
26

Alloy Composition

Carbon (C), % 0
0 to 0.15
Chromium (Cr), % 0
11.5 to 14
Copper (Cu), % 0 to 0.1
0
Iron (Fe), % 0
81.8 to 88.5
Magnesium (Mg), % 93.1 to 95.9
0
Manganese (Mn), % 0
0 to 1.0
Molybdenum (Mo), % 0
0 to 0.5
Nickel (Ni), % 0 to 0.010
0 to 1.0
Phosphorus (P), % 0
0 to 0.040
Silicon (Si), % 0
0 to 1.5
Sulfur (S), % 0
0 to 0.040
Zinc (Zn), % 3.6 to 5.5
0
Zirconium (Zr), % 0.5 to 1.0
0
Residuals, % 0 to 0.3
0