WE43A (M18430) Magnesium
WE43A magnesium is a magnesium alloy. WE43A is the ASTM designation for this material. M18430 is the UNS number. Additionally, the ISO numeric designation is WD95360.
It has a fairly high base cost among magnesium alloys. In addition, it has a very low thermal conductivity and a very high embodied energy.
The properties of WE43A magnesium include two common variations. This page shows summary ranges across both of them. For more specific values, follow the links immediately below. The graph bars on the material properties cards further below compare WE43A 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
Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus
44 GPa 6.4 x 106 psi
Elongation at Break
5.2 to 5.4 %
Fatigue Strength
85 to 120 MPa 12 to 17 x 103 psi
Poisson's Ratio
0.29
Shear Modulus
17 GPa 2.5 x 106 psi
Shear Strength
160 MPa 23 x 103 psi
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS)
250 to 270 MPa 36 to 39 x 103 psi
Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof)
160 to 170 MPa 23 to 24 x 103 psi
Thermal Properties
Latent Heat of Fusion
330 J/g
Maximum Temperature: Mechanical
180 °C 360 °F
Melting Completion (Liquidus)
640 °C 1180 °F
Melting Onset (Solidus)
570 °C 1050 °F
Solidification (Pattern Maker's) Shrinkage
1.6 %
Specific Heat Capacity
960 J/kg-K 0.23 BTU/lb-°F
Thermal Conductivity
51 W/m-K 29 BTU/h-ft-°F
Thermal Expansion
27 µm/m-K
Electrical Properties
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume
12 % IACS
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific)
55 % IACS
Otherwise Unclassified Properties
Base Metal Price
34 % relative
Density
1.9 g/cm3 120 lb/ft3
Embodied Carbon
28 kg CO2/kg material
Embodied Energy
250 MJ/kg 110 x 103 BTU/lb
Embodied Water
910 L/kg 110 gal/lb
Common Calculations
Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work)
12 MJ/m3
Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience)
280 to 310 kJ/m3
Stiffness to Weight: Axial
13 points
Stiffness to Weight: Bending
61 points
Strength to Weight: Axial
36 to 39 points
Strength to Weight: Bending
46 to 48 points
Thermal Diffusivity
28 mm2/s
Thermal Shock Resistance
15 to 16 points
Alloy Composition
| Mg | 89.5 to 93.5 | |
| Y | 3.7 to 4.3 | |
| Zr | 0.4 to 1.0 | |
| Zn | 0 to 0.2 | |
| Li | 0 to 0.2 | |
| Mn | 0 to 0.15 | |
| Cu | 0 to 0.030 | |
| Si | 0 to 0.010 | |
| Fe | 0 to 0.010 | |
| Ni | 0 to 0.0050 | |
| rare e. | 2.4 to 4.4 | |
| 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
ISO 3116: Magnesium and magnesium alloys - Wrought magnesium alloys
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.
Properties and Selection: Nonferrous Alloys and Special-Purpose Materials, ASM Handbook vol. 2, ASM International, 1993