Material Properties
This module lists typical numerical values for selected mechanical
properties, for a number of important structural materials. These are
intended primarily for educational use: while these values are
typical, in many cases a very wide range of values can be exhibited
for ostensibly indentical materials. Some properties, such as
density, do not vary much and the tabulated values are quite reliable.
Others, such as fracture toughness, can be varied over an extremely
large range by the material's processing history as well as other
factors. The cost values are especially prone to variation, depending
on current economic conditions.
Therefore, these values should be used only for preliminary
design and analysis purposes. Current vendor data along with
actual laboratory testing should be used for final design, especially
when human safety factors are present.
The table of properties is available in both a viewable and printable
.pdf file or a comma-separated .csv file for downloading and incorporation into
spreadsheet software.
Contact: roylance@mit.edu