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2018 Aluminum vs. SAE-AISI D3 Steel

2018 aluminum belongs to the aluminum alloys classification, while SAE-AISI D3 steel belongs to the iron alloys. There are 28 material properties with values for both materials. Properties with values for just one material (4, 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 2018 aluminum and the bottom bar is SAE-AISI D3 steel.

Metric UnitsUS Customary Units

Mechanical Properties

Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa 73
190
Elongation at Break, % 9.6
9.8 to 15
Fatigue Strength, MPa 120
310 to 940
Poisson's Ratio 0.33
0.28
Shear Modulus, GPa 27
74
Shear Strength, MPa 270
470 to 1220
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa 420
770 to 2050
Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof), MPa 310
480 to 1550

Thermal Properties

Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g 390
270
Melting Completion (Liquidus), °C 640
1430
Melting Onset (Solidus), °C 510
1390
Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K 870
480
Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K 150
31
Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K 22
12

Electrical Properties

Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume, % IACS 40
3.0
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific), % IACS 120
3.5

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Base Metal Price, % relative 11
8.0
Density, g/cm3 3.1
7.7
Embodied Carbon, kg CO2/kg material 8.1
3.2
Embodied Energy, MJ/kg 150
48
Embodied Water, L/kg 1130
100

Common Calculations

Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work), MJ/m3 37
97 to 180
Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points 13
14
Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points 45
25
Strength to Weight: Axial, points 38
28 to 74
Strength to Weight: Bending, points 41
24 to 47
Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s 57
8.3
Thermal Shock Resistance, points 19
23 to 63

Alloy Composition

Aluminum (Al), % 89.7 to 94.4
0
Carbon (C), % 0
2.0 to 2.4
Chromium (Cr), % 0 to 0.1
11 to 13.5
Copper (Cu), % 3.5 to 4.5
0 to 0.25
Iron (Fe), % 0 to 1.0
80.3 to 87
Magnesium (Mg), % 0.45 to 0.9
0
Manganese (Mn), % 0 to 0.2
0 to 0.6
Nickel (Ni), % 1.7 to 2.3
0 to 0.3
Phosphorus (P), % 0
0 to 0.030
Silicon (Si), % 0 to 0.9
0 to 0.6
Sulfur (S), % 0
0 to 0.030
Tungsten (W), % 0
0 to 1.0
Vanadium (V), % 0
0 to 1.0
Zinc (Zn), % 0 to 0.25
0
Residuals, % 0 to 0.15
0