Density, Thermal Conductivity, Thermal Expansion, Specific Heat on Physical Properties of Metals

On this post today we will talk about Physical Properties of Metals such as Density, Thermal Conductivity, Thermal Expansion, Specific Heat, and all those thing will explain here only at Piping & Fabrication.
Physical properties are those, other than mechanical properties, that pertain to the physics of a material. Physical properties of importance to the materials and design engineer are material density, thermal conductivity, thermal expansion, and specific heat.

Density. 

Density is the ratio of the mass of a material to its volume. In vessel and piping design, the density of a construction material versus its strength per unit area of cross section is often an important consideration.

Thermal Conductivity. 

This is the characteristic ability of a material to transmit energy in the form of heat from a high-temperature source to a point of lower temperature. The ability to transmit heat is usually expressed as a coefficient of thermal conductivity (k) whose units are a quantity of heat transmitted through a unit thickness per unit time per unit area per unit difference in temperature. For example:

The lower the value of k, the more resistant the material is to the flow of thermal energy. Good insulators possess low coefficients of thermal conductivity. Thermal conductivity is a function of the temperature of the material. For example, the coefficient of thermal conductivity of carbon steel decreases as its temperature increases, thereby decreasing its ability to transfer heat energy. Austenitic stainless steels, on the other hand, increase in k value with temperature. However, they remain lower than carbon steels in normal piping system temperature ranges.

Thermal Expansion. 

Expressed as the coefficient of linear expansion, thermal expansion is a ratio of the change in length per degree of temperature, to a length at a given standard temperature (such as room temperature, or the freezing point of water). The units of the coefficient are length of growth per unit length per degree of temperature. The value of the coefficient varies with temperature.

Specific Heat. 

This is a measure of the quantity of heat required to raise a unit weight of a material one degree in temperature.