Thermal conductivity against densityHigher and further left: spreads more heat for its weightThermal expansion against thermal conductivityLower and further right: warps less when heated
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Sources9 documents: Celanese, National Ready Mixed Concrete Association, Federal Highway Administration, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, USDA Forest Products Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology
Concrete
Normal-weight portland cement concrete, strength class f'c = 4000 psi (28 MPa) per NRMCA CIP 35; density NRMCA CIP 36; thermal conductivity USDA FPL Wood Handbook; service temperature ORNL/NRC review
Plastic PPS GF40
Celanese Fortron 1140L4 (PPS, 40% glass fibre), injection moulding; FORTRON PPS Short-Term Properties Guide (PPS-012, 2016); thermal conductivity and Poisson for 40% glass-reinforced Fortron from the Fortron PPS Design Manual (PPS-050, 2013).
CIP 36: Structural Lightweight ConcreteNational Ready Mixed Concrete Associationarchived copyConcrete · Density: range for normalweight concrete
5
The Effect of Elevated Temperature on Concrete Materials and Structures: A Literature Review (ORNL/TM-2005/553)Oak Ridge National Laboratoryarchived copyConcrete · Poisson's ratio: general range at normal ambient conditions (overall 0.11-0.32)Concrete · Max service temperature: code long-term temperature limit (ASME Code, concrete containments)
Thermal Coefficient of Portland Cement ConcreteFederal Highway AdministrationConcrete · Thermal expansion: typical range for portland cement concrete (aggregate dependent)
9
Best Practice Guidelines for Structural Fire Resistance Design of Concrete and Steel Buildings (TN 1681)National Institute of Standards and Technologyarchived copyConcrete · Specific heat: typical (NIST guidance for thermal analysis)
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, Concrete or Plastic PPS GF40?
Plastic PPS GF40 is lighter: 1,650 kg/m³ against 2,320 kg/m³ for Concrete.
Which is stiffer, Concrete or Plastic PPS GF40?
Concrete is stiffer: Young's modulus 25.1 GPa against 14.7 GPa for Plastic PPS GF40, so the same part in Concrete deflects less under the same load.
Which is lighter for the same job, Concrete or Plastic PPS GF40?
For the same stiffness or strength: Concrete is lighter for a stiff rod or tie (tension); Plastic PPS GF40 is lighter for a stiff beam (bending), stiff panel or plate.
Part that must be
Concrete
Plastic PPS GF40
Stiff rod or tie (tension)
lighter
21% heavier
Stiff beam (bending)
8% heavier
lighter
Stiff panel or plate
18% heavier
lighter
For the same stiffness or strength, mass scales with density over stiffness (or strength) raised to a power set by how the part is loaded: 1 for a rod in tension, 1/2 for a beam in bending, 1/3 for a panel (the standard material-selection indices).
Thermal
Which conducts heat better, Concrete or Plastic PPS GF40?
Concrete conducts heat better: 0.9 W/m·K against 0.2 W/m·K for Plastic PPS GF40.
Which expands less with temperature?
Concrete expands less: 10 µm/m·K against 12 µm/m·K for Plastic PPS GF40.