A356.0-T51 Cast Aluminum
A356.0-T51 aluminum is A356.0 aluminum in the T51 temper. To achieve this temper, the metal is artificially underaged. The degree of underaging is different from T53 and T54. It has the second lowest strength compared to the other variants of A356.0 aluminum.
The graph bars on the material properties cards below compare A356.0-T51 aluminum to: ANSI/AA cast aluminums (top), all aluminum alloys (middle), and the entire database (bottom). A full bar means this is the highest value in the relevant set. A half-full bar means it's 50% of the highest, and so on.
Mechanical Properties
Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus
70 GPa 10 x 106 psi
Elongation at Break
3.0 %
Fatigue Strength
53 MPa 7.7 x 103 psi
Poisson's Ratio
0.33
Shear Modulus
26 GPa 3.8 x 106 psi
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS)
180 MPa 26 x 103 psi
Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof)
120 MPa 18 x 103 psi
Thermal Properties
Latent Heat of Fusion
500 J/g
Maximum Temperature: Mechanical
170 °C 340 °F
Melting Completion (Liquidus)
610 °C 1130 °F
Melting Onset (Solidus)
570 °C 1060 °F
Solidification (Pattern Maker's) Shrinkage
1.3 %
Specific Heat Capacity
900 J/kg-K 0.22 BTU/lb-°F
Thermal Conductivity
150 W/m-K 87 BTU/h-ft-°F
Thermal Expansion
21 µm/m-K
Electrical Properties
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume
40 % IACS
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific)
140 % IACS
Otherwise Unclassified Properties
Base Metal Price
9.5 % relative
Density
2.6 g/cm3 160 lb/ft3
Embodied Carbon
8.0 kg CO2/kg material
Embodied Energy
150 MJ/kg 64 x 103 BTU/lb
Embodied Water
1110 L/kg 130 gal/lb
Common Calculations
Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work)
4.8 MJ/m3
Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience)
110 kJ/m3
Stiffness to Weight: Axial
15 points
Stiffness to Weight: Bending
53 points
Strength to Weight: Axial
19 points
Strength to Weight: Bending
27 points
Thermal Diffusivity
64 mm2/s
Thermal Shock Resistance
8.5 points
Alloy Composition
| Al | 91.1 to 93.3 | |
| Si | 6.5 to 7.5 | |
| Mg | 0.25 to 0.45 | |
| Fe | 0 to 0.2 | |
| Ti | 0 to 0.2 | |
| Cu | 0 to 0.2 | |
| Mn | 0 to 0.1 | |
| Zn | 0 to 0.1 | |
| res. | 0 to 0.15 |
All values are % weight. Ranges represent what is permitted under applicable standards.
Followup Questions
Further Reading
ASTM B686: Standard Specification for Aluminum Alloy Castings, High-Strength
ASTM B108: Standard Specification for Aluminum-Alloy Permanent Mold Castings
ASTM B26: Standard Specification for Aluminum-Alloy Sand Castings
Handbook of Aluminum vol. 2: Alloy Production and Materials Manufacturing, George Totten and D. Scott MacKenzie (editors), 2003
Advanced Materials in Automotive Engineering, Jason Rowe (editor), 2012
Properties and Selection: Nonferrous Alloys and Special-Purpose Materials, ASM Handbook vol. 2, ASM International, 1993