Materials / Compare
Silicon vs. Steel AISI 1018
Compare Silicon vs. Steel AISI 1018 strength, stiffness, weight and thermal properties.
| Try it on a partA sample part to run stress or thermal on, free in your browser | Open in LessCAD | Open in LessCAD |
|---|---|---|
| Mechanical | ||
| Yield strength | not given (tensile used) | 372MPasourceproducer-stated, cold drawn |
| Ultimate tensile strength | 130MPasourcemodulus of rupture (bending fracture stress); brittle, no yield point | 441MPasourceproducer-stated, cold drawn |
| Flexural strength | 130MPasourcemodulus of rupture | not sourced |
| Elongation at break | not sourced | 15%sourcein 2 in (50.8 mm) |
| Young's modulus (stiffness) | 131GPasourcetypical (single quoted value of an anisotropic crystal) | 200GPasourcebase material: AISI 1025 plain carbon steel (MIL-HDBK-5J design value; ASTM A108 bar is the cold-finished carbon-steel bar spec that also covers 1018) |
| Density | 2,329kg/m³sourcetypical | 7,861kg/m³sourcebase material: AISI 1025 plain carbon steel (MIL-HDBK-5J design value; ASTM A108 bar is the cold-finished carbon-steel bar spec that also covers 1018) |
| Strength to weight | 55.8kN·m/kg18% higher | 47.3kN·m/kg |
| Stiffness to weight | 56.2MN·m/kg2.21x higher | 25.4MN·m/kg |
| Poisson's ratio | 0.221sourcetypical | 0.32sourcebase material: AISI 1025 plain carbon steel (MIL-HDBK-5J design value; ASTM A108 bar is the cold-finished carbon-steel bar spec that also covers 1018) |
| Shear modulus | 53.6GPa | 75.7GPa41% stiffer in shear |
| Bulk modulus | 78.3GPa | 185GPa |
| Speed of sound | 7,500m/s | 5,043m/s |
| Thermal | ||
| Thermal conductivity | 163W/m·Ksourcetypical at 313 K (40 °C) | 51.9W/m·Ksourcebase material: AISI 1025 plain carbon steel (MIL-HDBK-5J design value; ASTM A108 bar is the cold-finished carbon-steel bar spec that also covers 1018) |
| Thermal expansion | 2.62µm/m·Ksourcetypical at 300 K | 12µm/m·Ksourcebase material: unalloyed carbon steel, Ovako family table (S275JR, 'none alloyed structural steels', C <= 0.21%); mean 20-300 °C |
| 100 mm part over a 50 °C swing | 13.1µm growth4.58x less | 60µm growth |
| Specific heat | 732J/kg·Ksourcetypical | 486J/kg·Ksourcebase material: AISI 1025 plain carbon steel (MIL-HDBK-5J design value; ASTM A108 bar is the cold-finished carbon-steel bar spec that also covers 1018) |
| Heats up and cools (diffusivity) | 95.6mm²/s7.04x faster | 13.6mm²/s |
| Thermal shock resistance | 48,095W/m8.79x more resistant | 5,473W/m |
| Melting point | 1,412°Csourcetypical | not sourced |
| Max service temperature | 300°Csourceproducer's maximum application temperature (optical components) | not sourced |
| Values for | Synthetic single-crystal silicon (cubic, diamond structure), Korth Kristalle (crystal grower) material data; Korth usually supplies Floating Zone (FZ) material, Czochralski (Cz) also offered. Silicon is elastically anisotropic; the producer quotes one modulus and the solver is isotropic. | AISI 1018 cold drawn bar (Niagara LaSalle, cold-finished bar producer) |
Every value links to the document that states it. "Not sourced" means no citable source states it (or only a specification minimum); figures computed from it are left out too.
Questions
Is Silicon stronger than Steel AISI 1018?
Steel AISI 1018 is stronger: its yield strength is 372 MPa against tensile strength 130 MPa for Silicon (2.86x).
Which is lighter, Silicon or Steel AISI 1018?
Silicon is lighter: 2,329 kg/m³ against 7,861 kg/m³ for Steel AISI 1018.
Which is stiffer, Silicon or Steel AISI 1018?
Steel AISI 1018 is stiffer: Young's modulus 200 GPa against 131 GPa for Silicon, so the same part in Steel AISI 1018 deflects less under the same load.
Which is lighter for the same job, Silicon or Steel AISI 1018?
For the same stiffness or strength: Silicon is lighter for a stiff rod or tie (tension), stiff beam (bending), stiff panel or plate, strong rod or tie, strong beam, strong panel or plate.
| Part that must be | Silicon | Steel AISI 1018 |
|---|---|---|
| Stiff rod or tie (tension) | lighter | 2.21x heavier |
| Stiff beam (bending) | lighter | 2.73x heavier |
| Stiff panel or plate | lighter | 2.93x heavier |
| Strong rod or tie | lighter | 18% heavier |
| Strong beam | lighter | 1.67x heavier |
| Strong panel or plate | lighter | 2x heavier |
For the same stiffness or strength, mass scales with density over stiffness (or strength) raised to a power set by how the part is loaded: 1 for a rod in tension, 1/2 for a beam in bending, 1/3 for a panel (the standard material-selection indices).
Which conducts heat better, Silicon or Steel AISI 1018?
Silicon conducts heat better: 163 W/m·K against 51.9 W/m·K for Steel AISI 1018.
Which expands less with temperature?
Silicon expands less: 2.62 µm/m·K against 12 µm/m·K for Steel AISI 1018.