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2124 Aluminum vs. SAE-AISI A4 Steel

2124 aluminum belongs to the aluminum alloys classification, while SAE-AISI A4 steel belongs to the iron alloys. There are 23 material properties with values for both materials. Properties with values for just one material (8, 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 2124 aluminum and the bottom bar is SAE-AISI A4 steel.

Metric UnitsUS Customary Units

Mechanical Properties

Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa 71
190
Poisson's Ratio 0.33
0.29
Shear Modulus, GPa 27
73
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa 490
710 to 2050

Thermal Properties

Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g 390
250
Melting Completion (Liquidus), °C 640
1450
Melting Onset (Solidus), °C 500
1410
Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K 880
470
Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K 150
40
Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K 23
12

Electrical Properties

Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume, % IACS 38
7.4
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific), % IACS 110
8.6

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Base Metal Price, % relative 10
3.9
Density, g/cm3 3.0
7.8
Embodied Carbon, kg CO2/kg material 8.2
1.8
Embodied Energy, MJ/kg 150
24
Embodied Water, L/kg 1150
59

Common Calculations

Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points 13
13
Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points 46
24
Strength to Weight: Axial, points 45
25 to 73
Strength to Weight: Bending, points 46
23 to 46
Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s 58
11
Thermal Shock Resistance, points 21
23 to 67

Alloy Composition

Aluminum (Al), % 91.3 to 94.7
0
Carbon (C), % 0
1.0 to 1.1
Chromium (Cr), % 0 to 0.1
0.9 to 2.2
Copper (Cu), % 3.8 to 4.9
0 to 0.25
Iron (Fe), % 0 to 0.3
92 to 95.5
Magnesium (Mg), % 1.2 to 1.8
0
Manganese (Mn), % 0.3 to 0.9
1.8 to 2.2
Molybdenum (Mo), % 0
0.9 to 1.4
Nickel (Ni), % 0
0 to 0.3
Phosphorus (P), % 0
0 to 0.030
Silicon (Si), % 0 to 0.2
0 to 0.5
Sulfur (S), % 0
0 to 0.030
Titanium (Ti), % 0 to 0.15
0
Zinc (Zn), % 0 to 0.25
0
Residuals, % 0 to 0.15
0