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A356.0-T51 Cast Aluminum

A356.0-T51 aluminum is A356.0 aluminum in the T51 temper. To achieve this temper, the metal is artificially underaged. The degree of underaging is different from T53 and T54. It has the second lowest strength compared to the other variants of A356.0 aluminum.

The graph bars on the material properties cards below compare A356.0-T51 aluminum to: ANSI/AA cast aluminums (top), all aluminum alloys (middle), and the entire database (bottom). A full bar means this is the highest value in the relevant set. A half-full bar means it's 50% of the highest, and so on.

Mechanical Properties

Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus

70 GPa 10 x 106 psi

Elongation at Break

3.0 %

Fatigue Strength

53 MPa 7.7 x 103 psi

Poisson's Ratio

0.33

Shear Modulus

26 GPa 3.8 x 106 psi

Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS)

180 MPa 26 x 103 psi

Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof)

120 MPa 18 x 103 psi

Thermal Properties

Latent Heat of Fusion

500 J/g

Maximum Temperature: Mechanical

170 °C 340 °F

Melting Completion (Liquidus)

610 °C 1130 °F

Melting Onset (Solidus)

570 °C 1060 °F

Solidification (Pattern Maker's) Shrinkage

1.3 %

Specific Heat Capacity

900 J/kg-K 0.22 BTU/lb-°F

Thermal Conductivity

150 W/m-K 87 BTU/h-ft-°F

Thermal Expansion

21 µm/m-K

Electrical Properties

Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume

40 % IACS

Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific)

140 % IACS

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Base Metal Price

9.5 % relative

Density

2.6 g/cm3 160 lb/ft3

Embodied Carbon

8.0 kg CO2/kg material

Embodied Energy

150 MJ/kg 64 x 103 BTU/lb

Embodied Water

1110 L/kg 130 gal/lb

Common Calculations

Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work)

4.8 MJ/m3

Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience)

110 kJ/m3

Stiffness to Weight: Axial

15 points

Stiffness to Weight: Bending

53 points

Strength to Weight: Axial

19 points

Strength to Weight: Bending

27 points

Thermal Diffusivity

64 mm2/s

Thermal Shock Resistance

8.5 points

Alloy Composition

Aluminum (Al)Al 91.1 to 93.3
Silicon (Si)Si 6.5 to 7.5
Magnesium (Mg)Mg 0.25 to 0.45
Iron (Fe)Fe 0 to 0.2
Titanium (Ti)Ti 0 to 0.2
Copper (Cu)Cu 0 to 0.2
Manganese (Mn)Mn 0 to 0.1
Zinc (Zn)Zn 0 to 0.1
Residualsres. 0 to 0.15

All values are % weight. Ranges represent what is permitted under applicable standards.

Followup Questions

Further Reading

ASTM B686: Standard Specification for Aluminum Alloy Castings, High-Strength

ASTM B108: Standard Specification for Aluminum-Alloy Permanent Mold Castings

ASTM B26: Standard Specification for Aluminum-Alloy Sand Castings

Handbook of Aluminum vol. 2: Alloy Production and Materials Manufacturing, George Totten and D. Scott MacKenzie (editors), 2003

Advanced Materials in Automotive Engineering, Jason Rowe (editor), 2012

Properties and Selection: Nonferrous Alloys and Special-Purpose Materials, ASM Handbook vol. 2, ASM International, 1993