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5042 Aluminum vs. C55281 Copper

5042 aluminum belongs to the aluminum alloys classification, while C55281 copper belongs to the copper alloys. There are 18 material properties with values for both materials. Properties with values for just one material (13, 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 5042 aluminum and the bottom bar is C55281 copper.

Metric UnitsUS Customary Units

Mechanical Properties

Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa 68
110
Poisson's Ratio 0.33
0.34
Shear Modulus, GPa 26
40
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa 340 to 360
190

Thermal Properties

Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g 400
190
Maximum Temperature: Mechanical, °C 180
200
Melting Completion (Liquidus), °C 640
810
Melting Onset (Solidus), °C 570
640
Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K 900
400
Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K 24
16

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Density, g/cm3 2.7
8.7
Embodied Carbon, kg CO2/kg material 8.8
7.0
Embodied Energy, MJ/kg 150
110

Common Calculations

Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points 14
6.9
Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points 50
18
Strength to Weight: Axial, points 35 to 37
6.1
Strength to Weight: Bending, points 40 to 42
8.5
Thermal Shock Resistance, points 15 to 16
7.7

Alloy Composition

Aluminum (Al), % 94.2 to 96.8
0
Chromium (Cr), % 0 to 0.1
0
Copper (Cu), % 0 to 0.15
88.5 to 89.4
Iron (Fe), % 0 to 0.35
0
Magnesium (Mg), % 3.0 to 4.0
0
Manganese (Mn), % 0.2 to 0.5
0
Phosphorus (P), % 0
5.8 to 6.2
Silicon (Si), % 0 to 0.2
0
Silver (Ag), % 0
4.8 to 5.2
Titanium (Ti), % 0 to 0.1
0
Zinc (Zn), % 0 to 0.25
0
Residuals, % 0
0 to 0.15