Borosilicate Glass vs. 5050 Aluminum
Borosilicate glass and 5050 aluminum belong to fundamentally different material chemistries. Borosilicate glass is a ceramic material, while 5050 aluminum is a metal. Therefore, their performance will be even more dissimilar than would be suggested by the difference in properties. There are 15 material properties with values for both materials. Properties with values for just one material (30, in this case) are not shown.
For each property being compared, the top bar is borosilicate glass and the bottom bar is 5050 aluminum.
Metric UnitsUS Customary Units
Mechanical Properties
Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa | 67 to 80 | |
68 |
Poisson's Ratio | 0.21 | |
0.33 |
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa | 280 | |
140 to 250 |
Thermal Properties
Maximum Temperature: Mechanical, °C | 360 | |
180 |
Melting Onset (Solidus), °C | 560 | |
630 |
Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K | 830 | |
900 |
Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K | 1.2 | |
190 |
Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K | 3.3 to 5.1 | |
24 |
Otherwise Unclassified Properties
Density, g/cm3 | 2.2 to 2.6 | |
2.7 |
Common Calculations
Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points | 15 to 17 | |
14 |
Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points | 55 to 61 | |
50 |
Strength to Weight: Axial, points | 30 to 35 | |
15 to 26 |
Strength to Weight: Bending, points | 36 to 43 | |
22 to 33 |
Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s | 0.54 to 0.63 | |
79 |
Thermal Shock Resistance, points | 50 to 91 | |
6.3 to 11 |