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6106 Aluminum vs. ACI-ASTM CA6NM Steel

6106 aluminum belongs to the aluminum alloys classification, while ACI-ASTM CA6NM steel belongs to the iron alloys. There are 29 material properties with values for both materials. Properties with values for just one material (5, 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 6106 aluminum and the bottom bar is ACI-ASTM CA6NM steel.

Metric UnitsUS Customary Units

Mechanical Properties

Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa 69
200
Elongation at Break, % 9.1
17
Fatigue Strength, MPa 88
380
Poisson's Ratio 0.33
0.28
Shear Modulus, GPa 26
76
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa 290
850
Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof), MPa 220
620

Thermal Properties

Latent Heat of Fusion, J/g 400
280
Maximum Temperature: Mechanical, °C 160
770
Melting Completion (Liquidus), °C 660
1450
Melting Onset (Solidus), °C 610
1400
Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K 900
480
Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K 190
25
Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K 23
10

Electrical Properties

Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume, % IACS 49
2.8
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific), % IACS 160
3.2

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Base Metal Price, % relative 9.5
10
Density, g/cm3 2.7
7.8
Embodied Carbon, kg CO2/kg material 8.3
2.5
Embodied Energy, MJ/kg 150
34
Embodied Water, L/kg 1190
110

Common Calculations

Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work), MJ/m3 24
130
Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience), kJ/m3 370
1000
Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points 14
14
Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points 50
25
Strength to Weight: Axial, points 29
30
Strength to Weight: Bending, points 35
26
Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s 78
6.7
Thermal Shock Resistance, points 13
31

Alloy Composition

Aluminum (Al), % 97.2 to 99.3
0
Carbon (C), % 0
0 to 0.060
Chromium (Cr), % 0 to 0.2
11.5 to 14
Copper (Cu), % 0 to 0.25
0
Iron (Fe), % 0 to 0.35
78.4 to 84.6
Magnesium (Mg), % 0.4 to 0.8
0
Manganese (Mn), % 0.050 to 0.2
0 to 1.0
Molybdenum (Mo), % 0
0.4 to 1.0
Nickel (Ni), % 0
3.5 to 4.5
Phosphorus (P), % 0
0 to 0.040
Silicon (Si), % 0.3 to 0.6
0 to 1.0
Sulfur (S), % 0
0 to 0.030
Titanium (Ti), % 0 to 0.1
0
Zinc (Zn), % 0 to 0.15
0
Residuals, % 0 to 0.15
0