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6061 Aluminum vs. Silica Aerogel

6061 aluminum and silica aerogel belong to fundamentally different material chemistries. 6061 aluminum is a metal, while silica aerogel is a ceramic 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 (19, 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 6061 aluminum and the bottom bar is silica aerogel.

Metric UnitsUS Customary Units

Mechanical Properties

Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa 69
0.0050
Poisson's Ratio 0.33
0.2
Shear Modulus, GPa 26
0.0030
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa 130 to 410
0.016

Thermal Properties

Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K 170
0.016
Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K 24
2.0

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Density, g/cm3 2.7
0.1

Common Calculations

Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points 14
0.028
Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points 50
57
Strength to Weight: Axial, points 13 to 42
0.044
Strength to Weight: Bending, points 21 to 45
1.4
Thermal Shock Resistance, points 5.7 to 18
110