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Automotive Grey Cast Iron vs. 4045 Aluminum

Automotive grey cast iron belongs to the iron alloys classification, while 4045 aluminum belongs to the aluminum alloys. There are 27 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 automotive grey cast iron and the bottom bar is 4045 aluminum.

Metric UnitsUS Customary Units

Mechanical Properties

Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa 180
71
Elongation at Break, % 9.6 to 14
2.3
Poisson's Ratio 0.29
0.33
Shear Modulus, GPa 69 to 70
27
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa 140 to 290
120
Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof), MPa 94 to 200
64

Thermal Properties

Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g 260 to 280
540
Melting Completion (Liquidus), °C 1380 to 1390
600
Melting Onset (Solidus), °C 1340 to 1350
580
Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K 490
900
Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K 41 to 43
170
Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K 12 to 14
21

Electrical Properties

Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume, % IACS 7.4 to 7.6
45
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific), % IACS 8.8 to 9.1
160

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Base Metal Price, % relative 1.9 to 3.0
9.5
Density, g/cm3 7.5 to 7.6
2.6
Embodied Carbon, kg CO2/kg material 1.5 to 1.7
7.8
Embodied Energy, MJ/kg 21 to 24
150
Embodied Water, L/kg 44 to 51
1070

Common Calculations

Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work), MJ/m3 18 to 25
2.4
Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience), kJ/m3 25 to 110
29
Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points 13
15
Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points 25
54
Strength to Weight: Axial, points 5.2 to 11
13
Strength to Weight: Bending, points 8.0 to 13
21
Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s 11 to 12
74
Thermal Shock Resistance, points 4.2 to 8.6
5.7