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6081 Aluminum vs. SAE-AISI D3 Steel

6081 aluminum belongs to the aluminum alloys classification, while SAE-AISI D3 steel belongs to the iron alloys. There are 28 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 6081 aluminum and the bottom bar is SAE-AISI D3 steel.

Metric UnitsUS Customary Units

Mechanical Properties

Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa 69
190
Elongation at Break, % 9.0
9.8 to 15
Fatigue Strength, MPa 110
310 to 940
Poisson's Ratio 0.33
0.28
Shear Modulus, GPa 26
74
Shear Strength, MPa 180
470 to 1220
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa 310
770 to 2050
Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof), MPa 270
480 to 1550

Thermal Properties

Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g 410
270
Melting Completion (Liquidus), °C 640
1430
Melting Onset (Solidus), °C 610
1390
Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K 900
480
Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K 180
31
Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K 23
12

Electrical Properties

Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume, % IACS 47
3.0
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific), % IACS 160
3.5

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Base Metal Price, % relative 9.5
8.0
Density, g/cm3 2.7
7.7
Embodied Carbon, kg CO2/kg material 8.3
3.2
Embodied Energy, MJ/kg 150
48
Embodied Water, L/kg 1180
100

Common Calculations

Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work), MJ/m3 27
97 to 180
Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points 14
14
Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points 50
25
Strength to Weight: Axial, points 32
28 to 74
Strength to Weight: Bending, points 37
24 to 47
Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s 74
8.3
Thermal Shock Resistance, points 14
23 to 63

Alloy Composition

Aluminum (Al), % 96.3 to 98.6
0
Carbon (C), % 0
2.0 to 2.4
Chromium (Cr), % 0 to 0.1
11 to 13.5
Copper (Cu), % 0 to 0.1
0 to 0.25
Iron (Fe), % 0 to 0.5
80.3 to 87
Magnesium (Mg), % 0.6 to 1.0
0
Manganese (Mn), % 0.1 to 0.45
0 to 0.6
Nickel (Ni), % 0
0 to 0.3
Phosphorus (P), % 0
0 to 0.030
Silicon (Si), % 0.7 to 1.1
0 to 0.6
Sulfur (S), % 0
0 to 0.030
Titanium (Ti), % 0 to 0.15
0
Tungsten (W), % 0
0 to 1.0
Vanadium (V), % 0
0 to 1.0
Zinc (Zn), % 0 to 0.2
0
Residuals, % 0 to 0.15
0