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Austempered Cast Iron vs. MDF

Austempered cast iron and MDF belong to fundamentally different material chemistries. Austempered cast iron is a metal, while MDF is a polymeric material. Therefore, their performance will be even more dissimilar than would be suggested by the difference in properties. There are 15 material properties with values for both materials. Properties with values for just one material (13, 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 austempered cast iron and the bottom bar is MDF.

Metric UnitsUS Customary Units

Mechanical Properties

Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa 180
4.0
Elongation at Break, % 1.1 to 13
0.5
Poisson's Ratio 0.29
0.25
Shear Modulus, GPa 62 to 69
2.5
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa 860 to 1800
18

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K 490
1700
Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K 42
0.3
Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K 13
12

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Density, g/cm3 7.5
0.75

Common Calculations

Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points 13
3.0
Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points 25
71
Strength to Weight: Axial, points 32 to 66
6.7
Strength to Weight: Bending, points 27 to 44
20
Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s 11
0.24
Thermal Shock Resistance, points 25 to 53
27