Well, here are some properties of the four most common metals used for the manufacture of machine tools.

Material	Elastic Modulus (N/m^2)	Shear Modulus (N/m^2)	Bulk Modulus (N/m^2)	Tensile Strength (N/m^2)	Compressive Strength (N/m^2)	Shear Strength (N/m^2)
Cast Iron	100*10^9	40*10^9	90*10^9	170*10^6	550*10^6	170*10^6
Steel	200*10^9	80*10^9	140*10^9	500*10^6	500*10^6	250*10^6
Copper alloys (typical)	100*10^9	35*10^9	80*10^9	250*10^6	250*10^6	200*10^6
Aluminum	70*10^9	25*10^9	70*10^9	200*10^6	200*10^6	200*10^6

All these values are at standard temperature and pressure.

Well I just thought if anyone was curious about the mechanical properties of the materials that their machine was made from this might be of interest. It also explains why I chose bronze over aluminum. The bigger the number the better in this case.

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