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4145 Aluminum vs. ASTM A217 Cast Steel

4145 aluminum belongs to the aluminum alloys classification, while ASTM A217 cast steel belongs to the iron alloys. There are 29 material properties with values for both materials. Properties with values for just one material (5, 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 4145 aluminum and the bottom bar is ASTM A217 cast steel.

Metric UnitsUS Customary Units

Mechanical Properties

Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa 73
190
Elongation at Break, % 2.2
21 to 27
Fatigue Strength, MPa 48
200 to 320
Poisson's Ratio 0.33
0.28 to 0.29
Shear Modulus, GPa 28
73 to 75
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa 120
540 to 710
Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof), MPa 68
270 to 460

Thermal Properties

Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g 540
250 to 270
Maximum Temperature: Mechanical, °C 160
410 to 600
Melting Completion (Liquidus), °C 590
1450 to 1460
Melting Onset (Solidus), °C 520
1410 to 1420
Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K 880
470
Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K 100
26 to 50
Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K 21
13

Electrical Properties

Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume, % IACS 26
7.3 to 9.2
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific), % IACS 84
8.4 to 11

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Base Metal Price, % relative 10
2.4 to 7.0
Density, g/cm3 2.8
7.8
Embodied Carbon, kg CO2/kg material 7.6
1.5 to 2.1
Embodied Energy, MJ/kg 140
20 to 28
Embodied Water, L/kg 1040
47 to 87

Common Calculations

Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work), MJ/m3 2.3
110 to 130
Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience), kJ/m3 31
190 to 570
Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points 14
13 to 14
Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points 50
24 to 25
Strength to Weight: Axial, points 12
19 to 25
Strength to Weight: Bending, points 19
19 to 23
Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s 42
6.9 to 14
Thermal Shock Resistance, points 5.5
16 to 20