Forsterite (Mg2SiO4)
Forsterite is an oxide-based engineering ceramic.
The properties of forsterite include two common variations. This page shows summary ranges across both of them. For more specific values, follow the links immediately below. The graph bars on the material properties cards further below compare forsterite to other oxide-based engineering ceramics (top) and the entire database (bottom). A full bar means this is the highest value in the relevant set. A half-full bar means it's 50% of the highest, and so on.
Thermal Properties
Specific Heat Capacity
850 J/kg-K 0.2 BTU/lb-°F
Thermal Conductivity
1.7 to 3.5 W/m-K 1.0 to 2.0 BTU/h-ft-°F
Thermal Expansion
9.0 to 10 µm/m-K
Electrical Properties
Dielectric Constant (Relative Permittivity) At 1 MHz
6.2
Dielectric Strength (Breakdown Potential)
7.9 kV/mm 0.31 V/mil
Electrical Dissipation At 1 MHz
0.00030
Other Material Properties
Density
2.1 to 3.1 g/cm3 130 to 200 lb/ft3
Flexural Strength
40 to 160 MPa 5.8 to 23 x 103 psi
Common Calculations
Thermal Diffusivity
0.94 to 1.3 mm2/s
Followup Questions
Further Reading
ASTM C242: Standard Terminology of Ceramic Whitewares and Related Products
IEC 60672-3: Ceramic and glass-insulating materials - Part 3: Specifications for individual materials
Springer Handbook of Condensed Matter and Materials Data, W. Martienssen and H. Warlimont (editors), 2005