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ZK51A Magnesium vs. ACI-ASTM CA6N Steel

ZK51A magnesium belongs to the magnesium alloys classification, while ACI-ASTM CA6N steel belongs to the iron alloys. There are 29 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 ZK51A magnesium and the bottom bar is ACI-ASTM CA6N steel.

Metric UnitsUS Customary Units

Mechanical Properties

Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa 45
190
Elongation at Break, % 4.7
17
Fatigue Strength, MPa 62
640
Poisson's Ratio 0.29
0.28
Shear Modulus, GPa 18
75
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa 240
1080
Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof), MPa 150
1060

Thermal Properties

Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g 340
280
Maximum Temperature: Mechanical, °C 120
740
Melting Completion (Liquidus), °C 640
1440
Melting Onset (Solidus), °C 550
1400
Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K 970
480
Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K 110
23
Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K 26
9.9

Electrical Properties

Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume, % IACS 28
2.6
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific), % IACS 140
3.0

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Base Metal Price, % relative 13
11
Density, g/cm3 1.8
7.8
Embodied Carbon, kg CO2/kg material 24
2.5
Embodied Energy, MJ/kg 160
35
Embodied Water, L/kg 940
110

Common Calculations

Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work), MJ/m3 10
180
Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience), kJ/m3 260
2900
Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points 14
14
Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points 64
25
Strength to Weight: Axial, points 36
38
Strength to Weight: Bending, points 47
30
Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s 61
6.1
Thermal Shock Resistance, points 15
40

Alloy Composition

Carbon (C), % 0
0 to 0.060
Chromium (Cr), % 0
10.5 to 12.5
Copper (Cu), % 0 to 0.1
0
Iron (Fe), % 0
77.9 to 83.5
Magnesium (Mg), % 93.1 to 95.9
0
Manganese (Mn), % 0
0 to 0.5
Nickel (Ni), % 0 to 0.010
6.0 to 8.0
Phosphorus (P), % 0
0 to 0.020
Silicon (Si), % 0
0 to 1.0
Sulfur (S), % 0
0 to 0.020
Zinc (Zn), % 3.6 to 5.5
0
Zirconium (Zr), % 0.5 to 1.0
0
Residuals, % 0 to 0.3
0