Is aluminium as strong as steel?

Answer 1

It depends on multiple factors, There are multiple grades/alloys of both that have different characteristics ( flexibility, temperature ranges, chemical resistance that affect it's strength).

If you are going by volume, comparing pieces of the same width/length/thickness, than steel is always stronger. If your comparing by weight, comparing 2 pieces that weight the same, than aluminum is almost always stronger with the exception of chromoly steel. 41xx grade chromoly steel is the only steel that is stronger/weight than aluminum alloys(debatable), but most agree that the aluminum of similar weight will be stiffer. Aluminum alloys usually show a 1/3 weight saving with equal strength vs. non Chromoly steels, like that used in production cars. All commercial planes are made of aluminum alloy.

Answer 2

Whike aluminum is generally not as strong as steel recent studies and experiments have ideneit=fied a process where an alumni alloy (aluminum 7075 which contains small percentages of magnesium and zinc) is compressed with a force of about 60,000 kilograms per square centimeter while rotating it. The compressed alloy is allowed to age for month after this process.,The treated metal attained a strength of 1 gigapascal (see article Nature Communications) which is equal to some of the strongest steels and more than three times higher than conventional aluminum.