The material. Papyrus, the forerunner of paper, was made from the flower stem of the reed, native to Egypt; it has been known and used for over 5000 years. Paper, by contrast, is a Chinese invention (105 AD). It is made from pulped cellulose fibers derived from wood, cotton, or flax. There are many types of paper and paperboard: tissue paper, newsprint, Kraft paper for packaging, office paper, fine glazed writing paper, cardboard—and a correspondingly wide range of properties. The following data spans the range of newsprint and Kraft paper.
Composition
Cellulose fibers, usually with filler and colorant. General properties
Density |
480 |
– 860 |
kg/m3 |
Price |
2.07 |
– 12.4 |
USD/kg |
Mechanical properties Young’s modulus |
3 |
– 8.9 |
GPa |
Yield strength (elastic limit) |
15 |
– 34 |
MPa |
Tensile strength |
23 |
– 51 |
MPa |
Compressive strength |
41 |
– 55 |
MPa |
Elongation |
0.75 |
– 2 |
% |
Hardness—Vickers |
*4 |
– 9 |
HV |
Fatigue strength at 107 cycles |
*13 |
– 24 |
MPa |
Fracture toughness |
*6 |
– 10 |
MPa. m1/2 |
Thermal properties Glass temperature |
47 |
– 67 |
°C |
Maximum service temperature |
77 |
– 130 |
°C |
Thermal conductor or insulator? |
Good conductor |
||
Thermal conductivity |
0.06 |
– 0.17 |
W/m. K |
Specific heat capacity |
1340 |
– 1400 |
J/kg. K |
Thermal expansion coefficient |
5 |
– 20 |
p, strain/°C |
Electrical properties Electrical conductor or insulator? |
Good insulator |
||
Electrical resistivity |
1 X 1013 |
– 1 X 1014 |
pnhm. cm |
Dielectric constant |
2.5 |
– 6 |
|
Dissipation factor |
0.015 |
– 0.04 |
|
Dielectric strength |
0.2 |
– 0.3 106 |
V/m |
Cardboard, ready for recycling.
Ecoproperties: material
Annual world production Embodied energy, primary production CO2 footprint, primary production Water usage Eco-indicator
Ecoproperties: processing
Construction energy Construction CO2
Recycling
Embodied energy, recycling CO2 footprint, recycling Recycle fraction in current supply
Typical uses. Packaging, filtering, writing; printing; currency; electrical and thermal insulation; gaskets.