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5021 Aluminum vs. Automotive Grey Cast Iron

5021 aluminum belongs to the aluminum alloys classification, while automotive grey cast iron belongs to the iron alloys. There are 27 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 5021 aluminum and the bottom bar is automotive grey cast iron.

Metric UnitsUS Customary Units

Mechanical Properties

Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa 68
180
Elongation at Break, % 1.1 to 3.4
9.6 to 14
Poisson's Ratio 0.33
0.29
Shear Modulus, GPa 26
69 to 70
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa 300 to 310
140 to 290
Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof), MPa 240 to 270
94 to 200

Thermal Properties

Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g 400
260 to 280
Melting Completion (Liquidus), °C 640
1380 to 1390
Melting Onset (Solidus), °C 590
1340 to 1350
Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K 900
490
Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K 140
41 to 43
Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K 23
12 to 14

Electrical Properties

Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume, % IACS 35
7.4 to 7.6
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific), % IACS 120
8.8 to 9.1

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Base Metal Price, % relative 9.5
1.9 to 3.0
Density, g/cm3 2.7
7.5 to 7.6
Embodied Carbon, kg CO2/kg material 8.6
1.5 to 1.7
Embodied Energy, MJ/kg 150
21 to 24
Embodied Water, L/kg 1180
44 to 51

Common Calculations

Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work), MJ/m3 3.1 to 10
18 to 25
Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience), kJ/m3 440 to 550
25 to 110
Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points 14
13
Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points 50
25
Strength to Weight: Axial, points 30 to 32
5.2 to 11
Strength to Weight: Bending, points 37
8.0 to 13
Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s 57
11 to 12
Thermal Shock Resistance, points 13 to 14
4.2 to 8.6