AZ61A (AZ61A-F, MgAl6Zn, M11610) Magnesium
AZ61A magnesium is a magnesium alloy. Cited properties are appropriate for the as-fabricated (no temper or treatment) condition. AZ61A is the ASTM designation for this material. MgAl6Zn is the EN chemical designation. M11610 is the UNS number. Additionally, the ISO numeric designation is WD21160.
It has a fairly high ductility and a moderately high tensile strength among magnesium alloys.
The graph bars on the material properties cards below compare AZ61A magnesium to other magnesium alloys (top) and the entire database (bottom). A full bar means this is the highest value in the relevant set. A half-full bar means it's 50% of the highest, and so on.
Mechanical Properties
Compressive (Crushing) Strength
380 MPa 55 x 103 psi
Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus
45 GPa 6.6 x 106 psi
Elongation at Break
11 %
Fatigue Strength
130 MPa 18 x 103 psi
Poisson's Ratio
0.29
Shear Modulus
17 GPa 2.5 x 106 psi
Shear Strength
150 MPa 21 x 103 psi
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS)
280 MPa 41 x 103 psi
Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof)
170 MPa 24 x 103 psi
Thermal Properties
Latent Heat of Fusion
350 J/g
Maximum Temperature: Mechanical
120 °C 250 °F
Melting Completion (Liquidus)
600 °C 1110 °F
Melting Onset (Solidus)
530 °C 980 °F
Specific Heat Capacity
990 J/kg-K 0.24 BTU/lb-°F
Thermal Conductivity
79 W/m-K 46 BTU/h-ft-°F
Thermal Expansion
27 µm/m-K
Electrical Properties
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume
12 % IACS
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific)
62 % IACS
Otherwise Unclassified Properties
Base Metal Price
12 % relative
Density
1.7 g/cm3 110 lb/ft3
Embodied Carbon
23 kg CO2/kg material
Embodied Energy
160 MJ/kg 67 x 103 BTU/lb
Embodied Water
980 L/kg 120 gal/lb
Common Calculations
Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work)
27 MJ/m3
Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience)
310 kJ/m3
Stiffness to Weight: Axial
15 points
Stiffness to Weight: Bending
69 points
Strength to Weight: Axial
46 points
Strength to Weight: Bending
56 points
Thermal Diffusivity
47 mm2/s
Thermal Shock Resistance
17 points
Alloy Composition
| Mg | 90.3 to 93.9 | |
| Al | 5.5 to 7.2 | |
| Zn | 0.4 to 1.5 | |
| Mn | 0.15 to 0.5 | |
| Si | 0 to 0.1 | |
| Cu | 0 to 0.050 | |
| Ni | 0 to 0.0050 | |
| Fe | 0 to 0.0050 | |
| res. | 0 to 0.3 |
All values are % weight. Ranges represent what is permitted under applicable standards.
Followup Questions
Similar Alloys
Further Reading
ASTM B107: Standard Specification for Magnesium-Alloy Extruded Bars, Rods, Profiles, Tubes, and Wire
ASTM B91: Standard Specification for Magnesium-Alloy Forgings
ISO 3116: Magnesium and magnesium alloys - Wrought magnesium alloys
Welding and Joining of Magnesium Alloys, Liming Liu (editor), 2010
Essential Readings in Magnesium Technology, Suveen N. Mathaudhu et al. (editors), 2014
Environmental Degradation of Advanced and Traditional Engineering Materials, Lloyd H. Hihara et al., 2014.
CRC Materials Science and Engineering Handbook, 4th ed., James F. Shackelford et al. (editors), 2015