The Cork
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PROPERTIES
The Cork
1. Low density and lightness
The cork cells have the 90% occupied by air.
2. Impermeability
The suberin and waxes present in the cell wall make cork virtually impermeable to liquids and gases. The hexagonal pores in its wall filled with air make it inaccessible to other compounds.
3. Low heat transmission and good thermal insulation
The high gas content, the size of the cells and the low adsorption power make it have this property.
4. Acoustic insulation and low sound transmission
The low density and high porosity mean that most of the sound waves are absorbed and transformed into heat energy. Cork is an acoustic corrector, as it absorbs more than 60% of the sound waves that strike the surface.
5. High resistance to movement or high coefficient of friction
The windy effect caused by the surface of the cells make it a very important property when using cork as a capping material.
6. Damping capacity
The cork cells have the 90% occupied by air.
7. Compressibility, elasticity and flexibility
The high air content of its cells allows it to be compressed to almost half without losing flexibility, and to recover its shape and volume when the pressure is stopped. It is the only solid that if compressed on one side, does not increase on the other.
8. Durability, stability and rigidity
The lignin and polysaccharides in its cell wall give it rigidity and make it resistant to the passage of time.
9. hygroscopic
It hydrates depending on the environmental conditions.
10. 100% natural, recyclable and renewable
It is a plant-based material that can be extracted without harming the tree and regenerates itself over the years. It allows a sustainable balance between agroforestry management and human action. In line with current trends in natural materials and sustainable construction. It is a clear example of circular economy.
PROPERTIES
Physical, mechanical and thermal properties of uncrushed, treated or modified cork
Some of the physical and mechanical properties of cork without crushing or treatments or modifications are due to the structural characteristics at the cellular level and the chemical structure of the plant wall (more than 40% of suberin, lignin and polysaccharides).
| Property | value | reference |
|---|---|---|
|
density |
120-200 kg ㎥ |
Angels et al. 2008 |
|
Thermal conductivity |
0.045 W m ˉ¹ Kˉ¹ |
Mathias et al. 1997 |
|
Acoustic resistance |
1.2 x 10 ⁵ kg m ˉ² sˉ¹ |
Mathias et al. 1997 |
|
Coefficient of friction |
0.35-0.76 cork/glass |
Vaz and Fortes, 1998 |
|
Water diffusion coefficient |
2.6-2.9 x 10ˉ⁹ m² sˉ¹ |
Fortes et al. 2004 |
|
Electrical conductivity |
1.2 x 10 ˉ¹⁰ S mˉ¹ at 25ºC
1.67 x 10ˉ¹³ S mˉ¹ at 50ºC |
Silva et al. 2005 |
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