Examples
| Material | Strength (MPa) |
Density (g/cm³) |
Specific Strength (kN·m/kg) |
Breaking length (km) |
source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Concrete | 10 | 2.30 | 4.35 | 0.44 | |
| Rubber | 15 | 0.92 | 16.3 | 1.66 | |
| Copper | 220 | 8.92 | 24.7 | 2.51 | |
| Brass | 580 | 8.55 | 67.8 | 6.91 | |
| Nylon | 78 | 1.13 | 69.0 | 7.04 | |
| Oak | 60 | 0.69 | 87.0 | 8.86 | |
| Polypropylene | 80 | 0.90 | 88.9 | 9.06 | |
| Magnesium | 275 | 1.74 | 158 | 16.1 | |
| Aluminium | 600 | 2.80 | 214 | 21.8 | |
| Stainless Steel | 2000 | 7.86 | 254 | 25.9 | |
| Titanium | 1300 | 4.51 | 288 | 29.4 | |
| Bainite | 2500 | 7.87 | 321 | 32.4 | |
| Balsa (axial load) | 73 | 0.14 | 521 | 53.2 | |
| Scifer steel wire | 5500 | 7.87 | 706 | 71.2 | |
| carbon-epoxy composite | 1240 | 1.58 | 785 | 80.0 | |
| spider silk | 1400 | 1.31 | 1069 | 109 | |
| Silicon carbide | 3440 | 3.16 | 1088 | 110 | |
| Glass Fiber | 3400 | 2.60 | 1307 | 133 | |
| Basalt fiber | 4840 | 2.70 | 1790 | 183 | |
| 1 μm iron whiskers | 14000 | 7.87 | 1800 | 183 | |
| Vectran | 2900 | 1.40 | 2071 | 211 | |
| Carbon fiber (AS4) | 4300 | 1.75 | 2457 | 250 | |
| Kevlar | 3620 | 1.44 | 2514 | 256 | |
| Dyneema (UHMWPE) | 3600 | 0.97 | 3711 | 378 | |
| Zylon | 5800 | 1.54 | 3766 | 384 | |
| Carbon nanotube (see note below) | 62000 | .037-1.34 | 46268-N/A | 4716-N/A | |
| Colossal carbon tube | 6900 | .116 | 59483 | 6066 |
The data of this table is from best cases, and has been established for giving a rough figure.
- Note: Multiwalled carbon nanotubes have the highest tensile strength of any material yet measured, with labs producing them at a tensile strength of 63 GPa, still well below their theoretical limit of 300 GPa. The first nanotube ropes (20 mm long) whose tensile strength was published (in 2000) had a strength of 3.6 GPa, still well below their theoretical limit. The density is different depending on the manufacturing method, and the lowest value is 0.037 or 0.55(solid).
Read more about this topic: Specific Strength
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