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Zamak 3 vs. LDPE

Zamak 3 and LDPE belong to fundamentally different material chemistries. Zamak 3 is a metal, while LDPE 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 (27, 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 Zamak 3 and the bottom bar is LDPE.

Metric UnitsUS Customary Units

Mechanical Properties

Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa 86
0.3
Shear Modulus, GPa 33
0.21
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa 280
7.0

Thermal Properties

Melting Onset (Solidus), °C 380
110
Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K 410
2300
Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K 110
0.36
Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K 27
220

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Density, g/cm3 6.4
0.92

Common Calculations

Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points 7.5
0.18
Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points 23
24
Strength to Weight: Axial, points 12
2.1
Strength to Weight: Bending, points 15
8.8
Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s 43
0.17
Thermal Shock Resistance, points 8.6
7.6