ZK61A-T6 Magnesium
ZK61A-T6 magnesium is ZK61A 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 ZK61A-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
Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus
46 GPa 6.7 x 106 psi
Elongation at Break
7.1 %
Fatigue Strength
120 MPa 17 x 103 psi
Poisson's Ratio
0.29
Shear Modulus
18 GPa 2.6 x 106 psi
Shear Strength
180 MPa 26 x 103 psi
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS)
310 MPa 45 x 103 psi
Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof)
200 MPa 29 x 103 psi
Thermal Properties
Latent Heat of Fusion
330 J/g
Maximum Temperature: Mechanical
120 °C 250 °F
Melting Completion (Liquidus)
640 °C 1180 °F
Melting Onset (Solidus)
530 °C 980 °F
Solidification (Pattern Maker's) Shrinkage
1.3 %
Specific Heat Capacity
960 J/kg-K 0.23 BTU/lb-°F
Thermal Conductivity
120 W/m-K 69 BTU/h-ft-°F
Thermal Expansion
27 µm/m-K
Electrical Properties
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume
29 % IACS
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific)
130 % IACS
Otherwise Unclassified Properties
Base Metal Price
13 % relative
Density
1.9 g/cm3 120 lb/ft3
Embodied Carbon
23 kg CO2/kg material
Embodied Energy
160 MJ/kg 70 x 103 BTU/lb
Embodied Water
940 L/kg 110 gal/lb
Common Calculations
Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work)
19 MJ/m3
Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience)
420 kJ/m3
Stiffness to Weight: Axial
13 points
Stiffness to Weight: Bending
62 points
Strength to Weight: Axial
45 points
Strength to Weight: Bending
53 points
Thermal Diffusivity
65 mm2/s
Thermal Shock Resistance
18 points
Alloy Composition
| Mg | 92.1 to 93.9 | |
| Zn | 5.5 to 6.5 | |
| Zr | 0.6 to 1.0 | |
| Cu | 0 to 0.1 | |
| Ni | 0 to 0.010 | |
| res. | 0 to 0.3 |
All values are % weight. Ranges represent what is permitted under applicable standards.
Followup Questions
Further Reading
Advances in Wrought Magnesium Alloys: Fundamentals of Processing, Properties and Applications, Colleen Bettles and Matthew Barnett (editors), 2012
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.
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