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5056 Aluminum vs. ASTM A217 Cast Steel

5056 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 5056 aluminum and the bottom bar is ASTM A217 cast steel.

Metric UnitsUS Customary Units

Mechanical Properties

Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa 67
190
Elongation at Break, % 4.9 to 31
21 to 27
Fatigue Strength, MPa 140 to 200
200 to 320
Poisson's Ratio 0.33
0.28 to 0.29
Shear Modulus, GPa 25
73 to 75
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa 290 to 460
540 to 710
Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof), MPa 150 to 410
270 to 460

Thermal Properties

Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g 400
250 to 270
Maximum Temperature: Mechanical, °C 190
410 to 600
Melting Completion (Liquidus), °C 640
1450 to 1460
Melting Onset (Solidus), °C 570
1410 to 1420
Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K 910
470
Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K 130
26 to 50
Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K 24
13

Electrical Properties

Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume, % IACS 29
7.3 to 9.2
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific), % IACS 99
8.4 to 11

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Base Metal Price, % relative 9.5
2.4 to 7.0
Density, g/cm3 2.7
7.8
Embodied Carbon, kg CO2/kg material 9.0
1.5 to 2.1
Embodied Energy, MJ/kg 150
20 to 28
Embodied Water, L/kg 1180
47 to 87

Common Calculations

Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work), MJ/m3 12 to 140
110 to 130
Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience), kJ/m3 170 to 1220
190 to 570
Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points 14
13 to 14
Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points 51
24 to 25
Strength to Weight: Axial, points 30 to 48
19 to 25
Strength to Weight: Bending, points 36 to 50
19 to 23
Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s 53
6.9 to 14
Thermal Shock Resistance, points 13 to 20
16 to 20