6061 Aluminum vs. Cordierite
6061 aluminum and cordierite belong to fundamentally different material chemistries. 6061 aluminum is a metal, while cordierite is a ceramic material. Therefore, their performance will be even more dissimilar than would be suggested by the difference in properties. There are 13 material properties with values for both materials. Properties with values for just one material (25, in this case) are not shown.
For each property being compared, the top bar is 6061 aluminum and the bottom bar is cordierite.
Metric UnitsUS Customary Units
Mechanical Properties
| Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa | 69 | |
| 62 |
| Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa | 130 to 410 | |
| 190 |
Thermal Properties
| Maximum Temperature: Mechanical, °C | 170 | |
| 1150 |
| Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K | 900 | |
| 800 to 850 |
| Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K | 170 | |
| 1.3 to 1.7 |
| Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K | 24 | |
| 2.9 to 4.8 |
Otherwise Unclassified Properties
| Density, g/cm3 | 2.7 | |
| 2.0 to 2.2 |
Common Calculations
| Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points | 14 | |
| 15 to 17 |
| Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points | 50 | |
| 59 to 67 |
| Strength to Weight: Axial, points | 13 to 42 | |
| 24 to 27 |
| Strength to Weight: Bending, points | 21 to 45 | |
| 33 to 38 |
| Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s | 68 | |
| 0.74 to 1.0 |
| Thermal Shock Resistance, points | 5.7 to 18 | |
| 47 to 78 |