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Zamak 3 vs. Silica Aerogel

Zamak 3 and silica aerogel belong to fundamentally different material chemistries. Zamak 3 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 (24, 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 silica aerogel.

Metric UnitsUS Customary Units

Mechanical Properties

Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa 86
0.0050
Poisson's Ratio 0.25
0.2
Shear Modulus, GPa 33
0.0030
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa 280
0.016

Thermal Properties

Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K 110
0.016
Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K 27
2.0

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Density, g/cm3 6.4
0.1

Common Calculations

Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points 7.5
0.028
Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points 23
57
Strength to Weight: Axial, points 12
0.044
Strength to Weight: Bending, points 15
1.4
Thermal Shock Resistance, points 8.6
110