WE54A-T6 Magnesium
WE54A-T6 magnesium is WE54A magnesium in the T6 temper. To achieve this temper, the metal is solution heat-treated and artificially aged until it meets standard mechanical property requirements. The graph bars on the material properties cards below compare WE54A-T6 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
85
Compressive (Crushing) Strength
410 MPa 59 x 103 psi
Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus
44 GPa 6.4 x 106 psi
Elongation at Break
4.3 %
Fatigue Strength
98 MPa 14 x 103 psi
Fracture Toughness
14 MPa-m1/2 13 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)
270 MPa 39 x 103 psi
Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof)
180 MPa 27 x 103 psi
Thermal Properties
Latent Heat of Fusion
330 J/g
Maximum Temperature: Mechanical
170 °C 340 °F
Melting Completion (Liquidus)
640 °C 1180 °F
Melting Onset (Solidus)
570 °C 1060 °F
Solidification (Pattern Maker's) Shrinkage
1.6 %
Specific Heat Capacity
960 J/kg-K 0.23 BTU/lb-°F
Thermal Conductivity
52 W/m-K 30 BTU/h-ft-°F
Thermal Expansion
25 µm/m-K
Electrical Properties
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume
10 % IACS
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific)
47 % IACS
Otherwise Unclassified Properties
Base Metal Price
34 % relative
Density
1.9 g/cm3 120 lb/ft3
Embodied Carbon
29 kg CO2/kg material
Embodied Energy
260 MJ/kg 110 x 103 BTU/lb
Embodied Water
900 L/kg 110 gal/lb
Common Calculations
Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work)
10 MJ/m3
Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience)
380 kJ/m3
Stiffness to Weight: Axial
13 points
Stiffness to Weight: Bending
62 points
Strength to Weight: Axial
39 points
Strength to Weight: Bending
49 points
Thermal Diffusivity
28 mm2/s
Thermal Shock Resistance
18 points
Alloy Composition
| Mg | 88.7 to 93.4 | |
| Y | 4.8 to 5.5 | |
| Zr | 0.4 to 1.0 | |
| Zn | 0 to 0.2 | |
| Li | 0 to 0.2 | |
| Mn | 0 to 0.030 | |
| Cu | 0 to 0.030 | |
| Si | 0 to 0.010 | |
| Fe | 0 to 0.010 | |
| Ni | 0 to 0.0050 | |
| rare e. | 1.5 to 4.0 | |
| res. | 0 to 0.3 |
All values are % weight. Ranges represent what is permitted under applicable standards.
Followup Questions
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.
Advanced Materials in Automotive Engineering, Jason Rowe (editor), 2012
Properties and Selection: Nonferrous Alloys and Special-Purpose Materials, ASM Handbook vol. 2, ASM International, 1993