Brick vs. Ceramic Aluminum Nitride

Compare Brick vs. Ceramic Aluminum Nitride strength, stiffness, weight and thermal properties.

Ceramic Aluminum NitrideSintered ceramic (pressed and fired)

Mechanical	Brick	Ceramic Aluminum Nitride
Yield strength	none (brittle)	none (brittle)
Ultimate tensile strength	modulus of rupture5.1MPa1	not sourced
Compressive strength	77.9MPa2	not sourced
Flexural strength	not sourced	310MPa3
Elongation at break	none (brittle)	none (brittle)
Young's modulus (stiffness)	not sourced	320GPa3
Density	2,082kg/m³41.63x lighter	3,400kg/m³3
Strength to weight	2.45kN·m/kg	not sourced
Stiffness to weight	not sourced	94.1MN·m/kg
Poisson's ratio	not sourced	0.243
Shear modulus	not sourced	129GPa
Bulk modulus	not sourced	205GPa
Speed of sound	not sourced	9,701m/s

Stiffness against densityHigher and further left: stiffer for its weight

Strength against densityHigher and further left: stronger for its weight

Thermal	Brick	Ceramic Aluminum Nitride
Thermal conductivity	0.92–1.12W/m·K4	150W/m·K3
Thermal expansion	7.2µm/m·K2	mean4.6µm/m·K31.57x less
100 mm part over a 50 °C swing	36µm growth	23µm growth1.57x less
Specific heat	837J/kg·K518% higher	710J/kg·K3
Heats up and cools (diffusivity)	0.585mm²/s	62.1mm²/s106x faster
Thermal shock resistance	not sourced	not sourced

Thermal conductivity against densityHigher and further left: spreads more heat for its weight

Thermal expansion against thermal conductivityLower and further right: warps less when heated

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Sources5 documents: National Institute of Standards and Technology, Brick Industry Association, KYOCERA Fineceramics Europe

Brick: Solid extruded clay/shale brick units (BIA 1993 manufacturer survey, TN 3A 2024); face brick of 130 lb/ft3 for thermal properties (BIA TN 4, from ASHRAE 2013); CTE is the TMS Code value for clay/shale masonry
Ceramic Aluminum Nitride: KYOCERA AN216A dense sintered aluminium nitride, typical values; KYOCERA Fineceramics Europe data sheet 2023.04.03

1
Strength of Masonry Walls Under Compressive and Transverse Loads (Building Science Series 34)National Institute of Standards and Technologyarchived copyBrick · Ultimate tensile strength: modulus of rupture (no direct tensile value)
2
Technical Notes 3A: Brick Masonry Material PropertiesBrick Industry AssociationBrick · Compressive strength: mean unit compressive strength, solid extruded brick (survey mean; SD 30.8 MPa)Brick · Thermal expansion: TMS Code average coefficient, clay/shale unit masonry
3
AN216A Aluminium Nitride Data Sheet (2023)KYOCERA Fineceramics Europearchived copyCeramic Aluminum Nitride · Flexural strength: 3-point bending strength (JIS R 1601)Ceramic Aluminum Nitride · Young's modulus (stiffness): typical (JIS R 1602)Ceramic Aluminum Nitride · Density: typical (JIS R 1634)Ceramic Aluminum Nitride · Poisson's ratio: typical (JIS R 1602)Ceramic Aluminum Nitride · Thermal conductivity: typical (JIS R 1611)Ceramic Aluminum Nitride · Thermal expansion: mean, 40-400 °C (JIS R 1618)Ceramic Aluminum Nitride · Specific heat: typical (JIS R 1611)
4
Technical Notes 4: Introduction to Energy Performance of Brick Masonry (2016)Brick Industry Associationarchived copyBrick · Density: face brick density row used for k (BIA notes most fired clay brick 120-130 lb/ft3)Brick · Thermal conductivity: range for 130 lb/ft3 face brick (ASHRAE 2013 via BIA)
5
Technical Notes 4B: Energy Code Compliance of Brick Masonry WallsBrick Industry Associationarchived copyBrick · Specific heat: value used in BIA heat-capacity sample calculation

Each number points to the document that states it, with the exact basis. Values without a number are computed from the sourced ones. "Not sourced" means no citable source states it (or only a specification minimum); figures computed from it are left out too.

Questions

Mechanical

Which is lighter, Brick or Ceramic Aluminum Nitride?

Brick is lighter: 2,082 kg/m³ against 3,400 kg/m³ for Ceramic Aluminum Nitride.

Thermal

Which conducts heat better, Brick or Ceramic Aluminum Nitride?

Ceramic Aluminum Nitride conducts heat better: 150 W/m·K against 1.02 W/m·K for Brick.

Which expands less with temperature?

Ceramic Aluminum Nitride expands less: 4.6 µm/m·K against 7.2 µm/m·K for Brick.