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7075 Aluminum vs. Balsa

7075 aluminum and balsa belong to fundamentally different material chemistries. 7075 aluminum is a metal, while balsa is a polymeric 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 (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 7075 aluminum and the bottom bar is balsa.

Metric UnitsUS Customary Units

Mechanical Properties

Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa 70
3.0
Elongation at Break, % 1.8 to 12
1.2
Poisson's Ratio 0.32
0.38
Shear Modulus, GPa 26
0.23
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa 240 to 590
14

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K 870
1700
Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K 130
0.1
Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K 23
6.5

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Density, g/cm3 3.0
0.13

Common Calculations

Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points 13
13
Strength to Weight: Axial, points 22 to 54
30
Strength to Weight: Bending, points 28 to 52
99
Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s 50
0.45
Thermal Shock Resistance, points 10 to 25
51