QE22A (QE22A-T6, 3.5106, M18220) Magnesium
QE22A magnesium is a magnesium alloy. Cited properties are appropriate for the T6 temper. To achieve this temper, the metal is solution heat-treated and artificially aged until it meets standard mechanical property requirements. QE22A is the ASTM designation for this material. M18220 is the UNS number.
It has a very high density among magnesium alloys. In addition, it has a fairly high melting temperature and a fairly high embodied energy.
The graph bars on the material properties cards below compare QE22A 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
Brinell Hardness
80
Compressive (Crushing) Strength
350 MPa 50 x 103 psi
Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus
44 GPa 6.4 x 106 psi
Elongation at Break
2.4 %
Fatigue Strength
110 MPa 15 x 103 psi
Fracture Toughness
15 MPa-m1/2 14 x 103 psi-in1/2
Poisson's Ratio
0.29
Shear Modulus
17 GPa 2.5 x 106 psi
Shear Strength
150 MPa 22 x 103 psi
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS)
250 MPa 37 x 103 psi
Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof)
190 MPa 27 x 103 psi
Thermal Properties
Latent Heat of Fusion
340 J/g
Maximum Temperature: Mechanical
250 °C 480 °F
Melting Completion (Liquidus)
640 °C 1190 °F
Melting Onset (Solidus)
570 °C 1060 °F
Solidification (Pattern Maker's) Shrinkage
1.3 %
Specific Heat Capacity
970 J/kg-K 0.23 BTU/lb-°F
Thermal Conductivity
110 W/m-K 65 BTU/h-ft-°F
Thermal Expansion
27 µm/m-K
Electrical Properties
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume
25 % IACS
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific)
120 % IACS
Otherwise Unclassified Properties
Density
2.0 g/cm3 120 lb/ft3
Embodied Carbon
27 kg CO2/kg material
Embodied Energy
220 MJ/kg 95 x 103 BTU/lb
Common Calculations
Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work)
5.5 MJ/m3
Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience)
400 kJ/m3
Stiffness to Weight: Axial
13 points
Stiffness to Weight: Bending
60 points
Strength to Weight: Axial
36 points
Strength to Weight: Bending
46 points
Thermal Diffusivity
59 mm2/s
Thermal Shock Resistance
15 points
Alloy Composition
| Mg | 93.1 to 95.8 | |
| Ag | 2.0 to 3.0 | |
| Zr | 0.4 to 1.0 | |
| Cu | 0 to 0.1 | |
| Ni | 0 to 0.010 | |
| rare e. | 1.8 to 2.5 | |
| res. | 0 to 0.3 |
All values are % weight. Ranges represent what is permitted under applicable standards.
Followup Questions
Similar Alloys
Further Reading
Magnesium Alloys Containing Rare Earth Metals: Structure and Properties, L.L. Rokhlin, 2003
ASTM B199: Standard Specification for Magnesium-Alloy Permanent Mold Castings
ASTM B403: Standard Specification for Magnesium-Alloy Investment Castings
Welding and Joining of Magnesium Alloys, Liming Liu (editor), 2010
ASTM B80: Standard Specification for Magnesium-Alloy Sand Castings
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.