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2024 Aluminum vs. Tungsten Carbide

2024 aluminum and tungsten carbide belong to fundamentally different material chemistries. 2024 aluminum is a metal, while tungsten carbide is a ceramic material. Therefore, their performance will be even more dissimilar than would be suggested by the difference in properties. There are 14 material properties with values for both materials. Properties with values for just one material (22, in this case) are not shown. Please note that the two materials have significantly dissimilar densities. This means that additional care is required when interpreting the data, because some material properties are based on units of mass, while others are based on units of area or volume.

For each property being compared, the top bar is 2024 aluminum and the bottom bar is tungsten carbide.

Metric UnitsUS Customary Units

Mechanical Properties

Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa 71
630
Poisson's Ratio 0.33
0.24
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa 200 to 540
350

Thermal Properties

Maximum Temperature: Mechanical, °C 200
1000
Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K 880
280
Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K 120
85
Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K 23
5.4

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Density, g/cm3 3.0
15

Common Calculations

Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points 13
24
Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points 46
20
Strength to Weight: Axial, points 18 to 50
6.6
Strength to Weight: Bending, points 25 to 49
7.5
Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s 46
21
Thermal Shock Resistance, points 8.6 to 24
7.2