7000 series aluminium alloy vs Ti-6Al-4V
7000 series aluminium alloy and Ti-6Al-4V are genuine alternatives to one another — a choice somebody actually makes — and differ on 4 measured properties, density most clearly.
7000 series aluminium alloy vs Ti-6Al-4V
7000 series aluminium alloy
The strongest aluminium there is — as strong as many steels, at a third the weight, and it does not like being welded or left in salt.
Ti-6Al-4V
One alloy is over half of all titanium used — the aerospace workhorse, and the metal a hip replacement is made of.
| Property | 7000 series aluminium alloy | Ti-6Al-4V |
|---|---|---|
| Density | 2.72–2.85 g/cm³ | 4.42–4.45 g/cm³ higher |
| Melting point | 475–640 °C | 1604–1660 °C higher |
| Tensile strength These are values for different forms — annealed (O) to peak-aged (T6) and annealed to solution-treated and aged — so the numbers describe different substances rather than a difference between them. | 220–620 MPa | 900–1170 MPa |
| Young's modulus | 71 GPa | 110–114 GPa higher |
Choosing between them
Ti-6Al-4V is recorded as a substitute for 7000 series aluminium alloy — better at temperature, more corrosion-resistant.
What it gives up: Over one and a half times the density and several times the price. Below about 150 °C in a benign environment the aluminium wins outright.
In this application, on the evidence cited above.