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4145 Aluminum vs. ASTM A27 Cast Steel

4145 aluminum belongs to the aluminum alloys classification, while ASTM A27 cast steel belongs to the iron alloys. There are 29 material properties with values for both materials. Properties with values for just one material (3, 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 A27 cast steel.

Metric UnitsUS Customary Units

Mechanical Properties

Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa 73
190
Elongation at Break, % 2.2
25 to 27
Fatigue Strength, MPa 48
170 to 230
Poisson's Ratio 0.33
0.29
Shear Modulus, GPa 28
73
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa 120
460 to 550
Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof), MPa 68
230 to 310

Thermal Properties

Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g 540
250
Maximum Temperature: Mechanical, °C 160
400
Melting Completion (Liquidus), °C 590
1460
Melting Onset (Solidus), °C 520
1420
Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K 880
470
Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K 100
52
Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K 21
12

Electrical Properties

Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume, % IACS 26
7.0 to 7.1
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific), % IACS 84
8.1

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Base Metal Price, % relative 10
1.8
Density, g/cm3 2.8
7.8
Embodied Carbon, kg CO2/kg material 7.6
1.4
Embodied Energy, MJ/kg 140
18
Embodied Water, L/kg 1040
45 to 46

Common Calculations

Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work), MJ/m3 2.3
96 to 120
Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience), kJ/m3 31
140 to 260
Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points 14
13
Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points 50
24
Strength to Weight: Axial, points 12
16 to 20
Strength to Weight: Bending, points 19
17 to 19
Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s 42
14
Thermal Shock Resistance, points 5.5
15 to 18