3003 Aluminum vs. Silicone Plastic
3003 aluminum and silicone plastic belong to fundamentally different material chemistries. 3003 aluminum is a metal, while silicone plastic is a polymeric material. Therefore, their performance will be even more dissimilar than would be suggested by the difference in properties. There are 12 material properties with values for both materials. Properties with values for just one material (24, in this case) are not shown.
For each property being compared, the top bar is 3003 aluminum and the bottom bar is silicone plastic.
Metric UnitsUS Customary Units
Mechanical Properties
| Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa | 70 | |
| 9.0 |
| Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa | 110 to 240 | |
| 38 |
Thermal Properties
| Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K | 900 | |
| 850 |
| Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K | 180 | |
| 0.35 |
| Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K | 23 | |
| 35 |
Otherwise Unclassified Properties
| Density, g/cm3 | 2.8 | |
| 1.9 |
Common Calculations
| Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points | 14 | |
| 2.6 |
| Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points | 50 | |
| 36 |
| Strength to Weight: Axial, points | 11 to 24 | |
| 5.5 |
| Strength to Weight: Bending, points | 18 to 30 | |
| 13 |
| Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s | 71 | |
| 0.22 |
| Thermal Shock Resistance, points | 4.7 to 10 | |
| 8.5 |