6061 Aluminum vs. PAI
6061 aluminum and PAI belong to fundamentally different material chemistries. 6061 aluminum is a metal, while PAI is a polymeric material. Therefore, their performance will be even more dissimilar than would be suggested by the difference in properties. There are 14 material properties with values for both materials. Properties with values for just one material (28, in this case) are not shown.
For each property being compared, the top bar is 6061 aluminum and the bottom bar is PAI.
Metric UnitsUS Customary Units
Mechanical Properties
| Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa | 69 | |
| 4.0 to 8.3 |
| Elongation at Break, % | 3.4 to 20 | |
| 3.0 to 12 |
| Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa | 130 to 410 | |
| 100 to 180 |
Thermal Properties
| Maximum Temperature: Mechanical, °C | 170 | |
| 260 |
| Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K | 900 | |
| 910 to 1000 |
| Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K | 170 | |
| 0.26 to 0.53 |
| Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K | 24 | |
| 15 to 34 |
Otherwise Unclassified Properties
| Density, g/cm3 | 2.7 | |
| 1.4 to 1.6 |
Common Calculations
| Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points | 14 | |
| 1.6 to 3.2 |
| Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points | 50 | |
| 38 to 47 |
| Strength to Weight: Axial, points | 13 to 42 | |
| 19 to 34 |
| Strength to Weight: Bending, points | 21 to 45 | |
| 33 to 49 |
| Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s | 68 | |
| 0.16 to 0.41 |
| Thermal Shock Resistance, points | 5.7 to 18 | |
| 48 to 110 |