|
ejmeier@gmail.com
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Material Densities:
Designing a bowed psaltery (or any musical instrument for that matter)
requires you to be a bit of a scientist, or even a bit of a physicist at times.
While not everyone likes this aspect of lutherie, (usually those that like to
stick strictly to the prescribed plans), I tend to enjoy this "research and
development" phase.
Accordingly, one thing that is very helpful is knowing the density of a
material.
- How heavy is that?
- How well will it resonate a musical vibration?
- How will it stand up to wear?
While you may not necessarily be able to get a full picture of how a given
material will react simply from its density, it is a good start, and certainly
better than a blind guess. So, to help measure and compare all sorts of
different materials, whether they be wood, metal, plastic, or some other form,
I've complied a table of material densities from several different sources.
(Various books, internet sites, and some of my own measurements.)
|
Material (common name) |
Density (in Kg/M^3) |
|
Metals
|
| Aluminum |
2,768 |
| Beryllium |
1,868 |
| Brass |
8,500 |
| Carbon Fiber |
1,743 |
| Cast Iron |
6,975 |
| Chromium |
7,197 |
| Copper |
8,940 |
| Gold |
18,878 |
| Human Bone |
1,439 |
| Lead |
11,349 |
| Magnesium |
1,743 |
| Molybdenum |
10,214 |
| Nickel |
8,553 |
| Phosphor Bronze |
8,858 |
| Platinum |
21,452 |
| Silver |
10,491 |
| Stainless Steel |
7,861 |
| Steel |
7,861 |
| Tin |
7,308 |
| Titanium |
4,512 |
| Tungsten |
19,293 |
| Zinc |
7,141 |
|
Woods (weight listed is average dried weight)
|
| Acacia Blackwood |
660 |
| Ash, White |
660 |
| Balsa |
160 |
| Basswood |
420 |
| Beech, European |
720 |
| Birch |
700 |
| Bloodwood |
960 |
| Bocote |
800 |
| Brazilwood |
1280 |
| Bubinga |
880 |
| Butternut |
450 |
| Cedar, Western Red |
370 |
| Chakte Kok |
640 |
| Chechen |
850 |
| Cherry, Black |
580 |
| Cocobolo |
1040 |
| Ebony, African |
1000 |
| Ebony, Gaboon |
1193* |
| Ebony, Macassar |
1090 |
| Elm, American |
560 |
| Goncalo Alves |
940 |
| Hickory |
820 |
| Holly |
800 |
| Jarrah |
800 |
| Jatoba |
900 |
| Kingwood |
1200 |
| Koa |
660 |
| Kwila |
963* |
| Lemonwood |
820 |
| Lignum Vitae (Ironwood) |
1310 |
| Mahogany, Honduran |
640 |
| Mahogany, Philippine (Lauan) |
382* |
| Makore |
620 |
| Maple, Hard |
720 |
| Maple, Soft |
620 |
| Oak, Red |
770 |
| Oak, White |
770 |
| Padauk |
720 |
| Panga Panga |
930 |
| Poplar |
450 |
| Purpleheart |
930 |
| Redwood |
420 |
| Rosewood, Brazilian |
850 |
| Rosewood, East Indian |
830 |
| Rosewood, Honduran |
940 |
| Sapele |
620 |
| Shedua |
748* |
| Snakewood |
1295 |
| Spruce, Sitka |
420 |
| Teak |
640 |
| Tulipwood |
960 |
| Verawood |
1256* |
| Walnut, Black |
640 |
| Wenge |
880 |
| Yellowheart |
860 |
| Zebrawood |
740 |
| Ziricote |
880 |
|
Plastics
|
| ABS |
1052 |
| Acetal (Delrin) |
1356 |
| Acrylic |
1163 |
| Neoprene |
1384 |
| Polyamide (Nylon) |
1100 |
| Polycarbonate |
1190 |
| LDPE (Low-Density Polyethylene) |
913 |
| HDPE (High-Density Polyethylene) |
941 |
| Polypropylene |
913 |
| PVC |
1467 |
| Teflon |
2159 |
|
* Denotes my own measurements |
This table is not meant to be exhaustive, nor is it to be seen as authoritative.
For instance, there are many, many different types of aluminum alloys, and while
I could list something like: "Aluminum 1100, Aluminum 3003, Aluminum
6061, etc." I've instead chosen to simplify things and simply write a
good representative number for each material as a whole. I've intended for this
table to be used to get a broad overview of materials, and how their densities
relate to each other, and not as an in-depth and ultra-precise reference guide. |
