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Coefficients Linear Thermal Expansion

Engineering Materials
Heat Transfer

Coefficient of Linear Thermal Expansion - Thermal expansion is the tendency of matter to change in volume in response to a change in temperature, through heat transfer.

When a substance is heated, its particles begin moving more and thus usually maintain a greater average separation. Materials which contract with increasing temperature are unusual; this effect is limited in size, and only occurs within limited temperature ranges (see examples below). The degree of expansion divided by the change in temperature is called the material's coefficient of thermal expansion and generally varies with temperature.

Coefficient of Linear Thermal Expansion
Thermal Expansion
(microinch/(in °F))
Acetal
59.2
Acrylic, extruded
130.0
Acrylic, sheet, cast
45.0
Alumina
3.0
Aluminum
13.1
Antimony
5.0
Arsenic
2.6
Barium
11.4
Beryllium
6.7
Beryllium Copper
9.3
Bismuth
7.2
Brass
10.4
Brass, Admiralty
11.2
Brass, Yellow
11.3
Bronze
10.0
Bronze, Aluminum
9.0
Cadmium
16.8
Calcium
12.4
Carbon - diamond
0.67
Cellulose acetate (CA)
72.2
Cellulose acetate butyrate (CAB)
14.0
Cellulose nitrate (CN)
55.6
Cement
6.0
Cerium
2.9
Chlorinated polyvinylchloride (CPVC)
37.0
Chromium
3.3
Clay tile structure
3.3
Cobalt
6.7
Concrete
8.0
Concrete structure
5.5
Constantan
10.4
Copper
9.8
Copper, Beryllium 25
9.9
Corundum, sintered
3.6
Diamond
0.6
Dysprosium
5.5
Ebonite
42.8
Epoxy, castings resins & compounds, unfilled
31
Erbium
6.8
Ethylene ethyl acrylate (EEA)
113.9
Ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA)
100
Europium
19.4
Fluoroethylene propylene (FEP)
75.0
Gadolinium
5.0
Germanium
3.4
Glass, hard
3.3
Glass, plate
5.0
Glass, Pyrex
2.2
Gold
7.9
Granite
4.4
Graphite
4.4
Hafnium
3.3
Hard alloy K20
3.3
Hastelloy C
5.3
Holmium
6.2
Ice
28.3
Incoloy
8.0
Inconel
6.4
Indium
18.3
Invar
0.8
Iridium
3.3
Iron
6.8
Iron, cast
5.9
Iron, forged
6.3
Lanthanum
6.7
Lead
15.1
Limestone
4.4
Lithium
25.6
Lutetium
5.5
Magnesium
14.0
Manganese
12.0
Manganese Bronze
11.8
Marble
3.1 - 7.9
Masonry
2.6 - 5.0
Mica
1.7
Molybdenum
3.0
Monel
7.8
Mortar
4.1-7.5
Neodymium
5.3
Nickel
7.2
Nickel Wrought
7.4
Niobium (Columbium)
3.9
Nylon, general purpose
40
Nylon, Type 11
55.6
Nylon, Type 12
44.7
Nylon, Type 6, cast
47.2
Nylon, Type 6/6
44.4
Osmium
2.8
Palladium
6.6
Phenolic resin without fillers
44.4
Plaster
9.2
Platinum
5.0
Plutonium
19.84
Polyallomer
50.8
Polyamide (PA)
61.1
Polycarbonate - glass fiber-reinforced
12.0
Polycarbonate (PC)
39.0
Polyester
69.0
Polyester - glass fiber-reinforced
14.0
Polyethylene (PE)
111.0
Polyethylene terephthalate (PET)
33.0
Polyphenylene - glass fiber-reinforced
20.0
Polypropylene - glass fiber-reinforced
18.0
Polypropylene (PP), unfilled
50.3
Polystyrene (PS)
38.9
Polysulfone (PSO)
31.0
Polyurethane (PUR), rigid
32
Polyvinyl chloride (PVC)
28
Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF)
71
Porcelain
2
Potassium
46
Praseodymium
3.7
Promethium
6.1
Quartz
0.43 - 0.79
Red Brass
10.4
Rhenium
3.7
Rhodium
4.4
Rubber, hard
42.8
Ruthenium
5.1
Samarium
7.1
Sandstone
6.5
Scandium
5.7
Selenium
2.1
Silicon
2.8
Silver
11
Slate
5.8
Sodium
39
Solder 50 - 50
13.4
Steatite
4.7
Steel
7.3
Steel Stainless Austenitic (304)
9.6
Steel Stainless Austenitic (310)
8.0
Steel Stainless Austenitic (316)
8.9
Steel Stainless Ferritic (410)
5.5
Strontium
12.5
Tantalum
3.6
Tellurium
20.5
Terbium
5.7
Terne
6.5
Thallium
16.6
Thorium
6.7
Thulium
7.4
Tin
12.8
Titanium
4.8
Tungsten
2.5
Uranium
7.4
Vanadium
4.4
Vinyl Ester
8.7 - 12
Wood, fir
2.1
Wood, oak
3.0
Wood, pine
2.8
Ytterbium
14.6
Yttrium
5.9
Zinc
19.0
Zirconium
3.2
Material
Linear
coefficient α
at 20 °C
(10−6 K−1)
Volumetric
coefficient αV
at 20 °C
(10−6 K−1)
Aluminium
23.1
69
Aluminium nitride
5.3
4.2
Benzocyclobutene
42
126
Brass
19
57
Carbon steel
10.8
32.4
Concrete
12
36
Copper
17
51
Diamond
1
3
Ethanol
250
750
Gallium(III) arsenide
5.8
17.4
Gasoline
317
950
Glass
8.5
25.5
Gold
14
42
Indium phosphide
4.6
13.8
Invar
1.2
3.6
Iron
11.8
33.3
Kapton
20
60
Lead
29
87
Macor
9.3
 
Magnesium
26
78
Mercury
61
182
Molybdenum
4.8
14.4
Nickel
13
39
Oak
54
 
Douglas-fir
45
75
Platinum
9
27
PVC
52
156
Quartz
0.33
1
Sapphire
5.3
 
Silicon Carbide
2.77
8.31
Silicon
3
9
Silver
18
54
Stainless steel
17.3
51.9
Steel
11.0 ~ 13.0
33.0 ~ 39.0
Titanium
8.6
 
Tungsten
4.5
13.5
Water
69
207
Zerodur
≈0.02
 

Sources

Heat Transfer - A Practical Source, Yunus A. Cenel
Heat Transfer Handbook, Adrian Bejan, Allen Kraus
Heat Transfer Calculations, Myer Kutz

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