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Balsa vs. SAE-AISI 4150 Steel

Balsa and SAE-AISI 4150 steel belong to fundamentally different material chemistries. Balsa is a polymeric material, while SAE-AISI 4150 steel is a metal. Therefore, their performance will be even more dissimilar than would be suggested by the difference in properties. There are 14 material properties with values for both materials. Properties with values for just one material (19, 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 balsa and the bottom bar is SAE-AISI 4150 steel.

Metric UnitsUS Customary Units

Mechanical Properties

Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa 3.0
190
Elongation at Break, % 1.2
12 to 20
Poisson's Ratio 0.38
0.29
Shear Modulus, GPa 0.23
73
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa 14
660 to 1310

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K 1700
470
Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K 0.1
42
Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K 6.5
13

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Density, g/cm3 0.13
7.8

Common Calculations

Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points 13
13
Strength to Weight: Axial, points 30
24 to 47
Strength to Weight: Bending, points 99
22 to 34
Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s 0.45
11
Thermal Shock Resistance, points 51
19 to 39