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2017A Aluminum vs. ACI-ASTM CF8C Steel

2017A aluminum belongs to the aluminum alloys classification, while ACI-ASTM CF8C steel belongs to the iron alloys. There are 29 material properties with values for both materials. Properties with values for just one material (4, 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 2017A aluminum and the bottom bar is ACI-ASTM CF8C steel.

Metric UnitsUS Customary Units

Mechanical Properties

Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa 71
200
Elongation at Break, % 2.2 to 14
40
Fatigue Strength, MPa 92 to 130
220
Poisson's Ratio 0.33
0.28
Shear Modulus, GPa 27
77
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa 200 to 460
530
Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof), MPa 110 to 290
260

Thermal Properties

Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g 390
300
Maximum Temperature: Mechanical, °C 220
980
Melting Completion (Liquidus), °C 650
1420
Melting Onset (Solidus), °C 510
1430
Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K 880
480
Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K 150
16
Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K 23
17

Electrical Properties

Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume, % IACS 34
2.0
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific), % IACS 100
2.3

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Base Metal Price, % relative 11
19
Density, g/cm3 3.0
7.8
Embodied Carbon, kg CO2/kg material 8.2
3.7
Embodied Energy, MJ/kg 150
53
Embodied Water, L/kg 1140
150

Common Calculations

Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work), MJ/m3 6.7 to 53
180
Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience), kJ/m3 90 to 570
170
Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points 13
14
Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points 46
25
Strength to Weight: Axial, points 19 to 42
19
Strength to Weight: Bending, points 26 to 44
19
Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s 56
4.3
Thermal Shock Resistance, points 8.9 to 20
11

Alloy Composition

Aluminum (Al), % 91.3 to 95.5
0
Carbon (C), % 0
0 to 0.080
Chromium (Cr), % 0 to 0.1
18 to 21
Copper (Cu), % 3.5 to 4.5
0
Iron (Fe), % 0 to 0.7
61.8 to 73
Magnesium (Mg), % 0.4 to 1.0
0
Manganese (Mn), % 0.4 to 1.0
0 to 1.5
Molybdenum (Mo), % 0
0 to 0.5
Nickel (Ni), % 0
9.0 to 12
Niobium (Nb), % 0
0 to 1.0
Phosphorus (P), % 0
0 to 0.040
Silicon (Si), % 0.2 to 0.8
0 to 2.0
Sulfur (S), % 0
0 to 0.040
Titanium (Ti), % 0 to 0.25
0
Zinc (Zn), % 0 to 0.25
0
Zirconium (Zr), % 0 to 0.25
0
Residuals, % 0 to 0.15
0