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5251 Aluminum vs. SAE-AISI 8642 Steel

5251 aluminum belongs to the aluminum alloys classification, while SAE-AISI 8642 steel belongs to the iron alloys. 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 5251 aluminum and the bottom bar is SAE-AISI 8642 steel.

Metric UnitsUS Customary Units

Mechanical Properties

Brinell Hardness 44 to 79
170
Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa 68
190
Elongation at Break, % 2.0 to 19
23
Fatigue Strength, MPa 59 to 110
270
Poisson's Ratio 0.33
0.29
Shear Modulus, GPa 26
73
Shear Strength, MPa 110 to 160
370
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa 180 to 280
580
Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof), MPa 67 to 250
380

Thermal Properties

Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g 400
250
Maximum Temperature: Mechanical, °C 180
410
Melting Completion (Liquidus), °C 650
1460
Melting Onset (Solidus), °C 610
1420
Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K 900
470
Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K 150
39
Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K 24
13

Electrical Properties

Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume, % IACS 37
7.3
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific), % IACS 120
8.4

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Base Metal Price, % relative 9.5
2.6
Density, g/cm3 2.7
7.8
Embodied Carbon, kg CO2/kg material 8.5
1.5
Embodied Energy, MJ/kg 150
20
Embodied Water, L/kg 1180
50

Common Calculations

Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work), MJ/m3 5.4 to 27
120
Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience), kJ/m3 33 to 450
390
Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points 14
13
Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points 50
24
Strength to Weight: Axial, points 18 to 29
20
Strength to Weight: Bending, points 26 to 35
20
Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s 61
10
Thermal Shock Resistance, points 7.9 to 13
17

Alloy Composition

Aluminum (Al), % 95.5 to 98.2
0
Carbon (C), % 0
0.4 to 0.45
Chromium (Cr), % 0 to 0.15
0.4 to 0.6
Copper (Cu), % 0 to 0.15
0
Iron (Fe), % 0 to 0.5
96.6 to 97.8
Magnesium (Mg), % 1.7 to 2.4
0
Manganese (Mn), % 0.1 to 0.5
0.75 to 1.0
Molybdenum (Mo), % 0
0.15 to 0.25
Nickel (Ni), % 0
0.4 to 0.7
Phosphorus (P), % 0
0 to 0.035
Silicon (Si), % 0 to 0.4
0.15 to 0.35
Sulfur (S), % 0
0 to 0.040
Titanium (Ti), % 0 to 0.15
0
Zinc (Zn), % 0 to 0.15
0
Residuals, % 0 to 0.15
0