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1050A Aluminum vs. SAE-AISI 4161 Steel

1050A aluminum belongs to the aluminum alloys classification, while SAE-AISI 4161 steel belongs to the iron alloys. 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 1050A aluminum and the bottom bar is SAE-AISI 4161 steel.

Metric UnitsUS Customary Units

Mechanical Properties

Brinell Hardness 20 to 45
200
Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa 68
190
Elongation at Break, % 1.1 to 33
20
Fatigue Strength, MPa 22 to 55
290
Poisson's Ratio 0.33
0.29
Shear Modulus, GPa 26
73
Shear Strength, MPa 44 to 97
420
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa 68 to 170
680
Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof), MPa 22 to 150
410

Thermal Properties

Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g 400
250
Maximum Temperature: Mechanical, °C 170
420
Melting Completion (Liquidus), °C 660
1460
Melting Onset (Solidus), °C 650
1410
Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K 900
470
Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K 230
43
Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K 24
12

Electrical Properties

Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume, % IACS 59
7.3
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific), % IACS 200
8.4

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Base Metal Price, % relative 9.0
2.5
Density, g/cm3 2.7
7.8
Embodied Carbon, kg CO2/kg material 8.2
1.5
Embodied Energy, MJ/kg 150
20
Embodied Water, L/kg 1200
50

Common Calculations

Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work), MJ/m3 1.9 to 19
120
Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience), kJ/m3 3.7 to 160
460
Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points 14
13
Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points 50
24
Strength to Weight: Axial, points 6.9 to 18
24
Strength to Weight: Bending, points 14 to 25
22
Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s 94
12
Thermal Shock Resistance, points 3.0 to 7.6
22

Alloy Composition

Aluminum (Al), % 99.5 to 100
0
Carbon (C), % 0
0.56 to 0.64
Chromium (Cr), % 0
0.7 to 0.9
Copper (Cu), % 0 to 0.050
0
Iron (Fe), % 0 to 0.4
96.7 to 97.6
Magnesium (Mg), % 0 to 0.050
0
Manganese (Mn), % 0 to 0.050
0.75 to 1.0
Molybdenum (Mo), % 0
0.25 to 0.35
Phosphorus (P), % 0
0 to 0.035
Silicon (Si), % 0 to 0.25
0.15 to 0.35
Sulfur (S), % 0
0 to 0.040
Titanium (Ti), % 0 to 0.050
0
Zinc (Zn), % 0 to 0.070
0