Thermal Properties Of Building Materials

February 1, 2008 Jim Wilson, Ph.D.Articles, Materials, Compounds, Adhesives, SubstratesTechnical

Data, Thermal Properties

Previous Technical Data columns have covered thermal properties for many of the
materials that are common to electronics packaging. The Technical Data for this
issue is broader in scope and addresses common building materials, some of which
are used in heat transfer laboratory environments, in addition to their usual
construction applications. Knowledge of thermal conductivity and heat capacity of
items used to construct or support a test set is often required to understand and
interpret the results (or at least understand why thermal equilibrium required such a
long time to achieve).

Table 1 lists a few construction materials and their thermal properties at nominal
room temperature. Metals and alloys were not included because they have been
previously addressed. It should be noted that these values are approximate and are
representative of the particular type of material. Some materials absorb water which
in turn changes their properties. For example, the thermal conductivity of wood can
increase by 15% when wet. Materials used as insulators that rely on air, such as
fiberglass blankets, exhibit a greater change in properties when wet. It is worth
noting that the range of thermal conductivities for these materials is rather modest
(about two orders of magnitude).

Table 1. Construction Material Thermal Properties at Room Temperature [1-4]

Material Thermal Conductivity Specific Heat Density

 (W/m�K) @~300 K (J/kg�K) (kg/m

Brick 0.7 840 1600

Concrete – cast dense 1.4 840 2100

Concrete – cast light 0.4 1000 1200

Granite 1.7 – 3.9 820 2600

Glass (window) 0.8 880 2700

Hardwoods (oak) 0.16 1250 720

Softwoods (pine) 0.12 1350 510

Polyvinyl chloride 0.12 – 0.25 1250 1400

Paper 0.04 1300 930

Acoustic Tile 0.06 1340 290

Particle board (low density) 0.08 1300 590

Particle board (high density) 0.17 1300 1000

Fiberglass 0.04 700 150

Expanded polystyrene 0.03 1200 50

Increasing energy costs and the renewed realization that minimizing unwanted heat
transfer is beneficial continues to provide incentives for lower energy use
construction methods and materials. The benefits of efficient thermal management
of indoor electronics should also be coupled with thermally efficient room
construction. The use of insulating (low thermal conductivity) materials may be
desirable but nature did not provide true thermally insulating materials, at least when
compared to the range of materials choices for electrical conduction. Researching
thermal properties for these types of materials will result in data with significant
variation, due to composition differences and different test conditions.

For many materials, data may be found in terms of an R value. The R value
represents the inverse of thermal conductance and has units of ft2��F�h/Btu
(occasionally data is shown with SI units of K�m2/W and is usually referenced as
RSI). A larger R value indicates a more restrictive heat flow path. Provided that the
thickness is given, extracting an approximate thermal conductivity is possible.
However, confusion and disagreement over extrapolating R values to a per thickness
value and the fact that most of these materials are used in environments with
moisture and moving air, and incur aging, have forced standards on how they should
be measured, reported, and advertised [5,6]. If more than approximate values are
required then further testing is usually needed.

References
1. Incropera, F., De Witt, D., Introduction to Heat Transfer, 2nd Edition, John Wiley
and Sons, 1990.
2. www.goodfellows.com
3. Comfortable Low Energy Architecture website
(http://www.learn.londonmet.ac.uk/packages/clear/index.html )
4. www.coloradoenergy.org/procorner/stuff/r-values.htm
5. ASTM C1303, “Standard Test Method for Estimating the Long-Term Change in
the Thermal Resistance of Unfaced Rigid Closed-Cell Plastic Foams by Slicing
and Scaling Under Laboratory Conditions.”
6. Federal Trade Comission “Labeling and Advertising of Home Insulation
16CFR460”, {www.ftc
.gov/bcp/rulemaking/rvalue/16cfr460.shtm#content#content}