MakeItFrom.com
Menu (ESC)

Automotive Grey Cast Iron vs. 6061 Aluminum

Automotive grey cast iron belongs to the iron alloys classification, while 6061 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 6061 aluminum.

Metric UnitsUS Customary Units

Mechanical Properties

Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa 180
69
Elongation at Break, % 9.6 to 14
3.4 to 20
Poisson's Ratio 0.29
0.33
Shear Modulus, GPa 69 to 70
26
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa 140 to 290
130 to 410
Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof), MPa 94 to 200
76 to 370

Thermal Properties

Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g 260 to 280
400
Melting Completion (Liquidus), °C 1380 to 1390
650
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
24

Electrical Properties

Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume, % IACS 7.4 to 7.6
43
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific), % IACS 8.8 to 9.1
140

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Base Metal Price, % relative 1.9 to 3.0
9.5
Density, g/cm3 7.5 to 7.6
2.7
Embodied Carbon, kg CO2/kg material 1.5 to 1.7
8.3
Embodied Energy, MJ/kg 21 to 24
150
Embodied Water, L/kg 44 to 51
1180

Common Calculations

Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work), MJ/m3 18 to 25
3.8 to 81
Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience), kJ/m3 25 to 110
42 to 1000
Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points 13
14
Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points 25
50
Strength to Weight: Axial, points 5.2 to 11
13 to 42
Strength to Weight: Bending, points 8.0 to 13
21 to 45
Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s 11 to 12
68
Thermal Shock Resistance, points 4.2 to 8.6
5.7 to 18