Heat dissipation - nylon vs steel

In summary, nylon is not a very good conductor of heat and it will lose heat faster than steel. This can lead to a quicker failure of the tire.
  • #1
RagenStienke
4
0
I'm trying to get a better understanding of they heat dissipation properties of these two materials. Understanding that there are many different kinds of nylon and steel, what are some general rules of thumb?

Thx.
 
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  • #2
Do you mean heat dissipation or conduction?
Are you interested in how a hot piece of nylon/steel on it's own cools or do you have a piece of nylon/steel between you and something hot?
 
  • #3
Dissipation. I realize nylon is a very poor conductor of heat relative to steel. What I'm trying to determine is once hot, how fast does nylon lose heat relative to steel.

For example, if instead of using steel belting in tires, if I used nylon, might that prolong the life of the tire. Forgetting other issues, I'm focusing singularly on the heat properties in tires that carry heavy loads and thus fail more often (trucks, mining equipment, etc).

Am I looking at this correctly?
 
  • #4
Then it's mostly a heat conduction question.
Where does the heat come from - the air or the rubber
Where does the heat go - presumably the outside of the rubber?
 
  • #5
Heat comes from both rubber (friction with ground) and air inside the tires (pressure). Heat goes to outside air.
 
  • #7
RagenStienke said:
For example, if instead of using steel belting in tires, if I used nylon, might that prolong the life of the tire. Forgetting other issues, I'm focusing singularly on the heat properties in tires that carry heavy loads and thus fail more often (trucks, mining equipment, etc).

Am I looking at this correctly?

In this particular example of the tire, it is irrelevant what the thermal conductivity (and thus heat dissipation) is of the reinforcement fibers. This is because the fibers are encased in the rubber carcase, which itself is made of a poor conductor of heat. Further, the heat is not being generated substantially from the fibers. The bulk of the heat is generated from the flexing of the rubber carcase.

When a manufacturer wants a cooler tire, then they use a harder rubber compound. In contrast, racing tires are made of softer compounds to intentionally allow more heat generation - which leads to softening of the tire - which leads to increase road grip; aleit all at the expense of drastically reducing the life of a racing tire.

Note, addition of tread and its depth (which increases folded surface area) will marginally increase the rate of heat dissipation.
 
  • #8
Skeleton,

That is extremely helpful. Thank you.
 

1. How does the thermal conductivity of nylon compare to steel?

Nylon has a significantly lower thermal conductivity than steel, meaning that it is not as efficient at conducting heat away from a source. This results in slower heat dissipation compared to steel.

2. Which material would be more suitable for dissipating heat in a high temperature environment?

In a high temperature environment, steel would be the more suitable material for heat dissipation. Its higher thermal conductivity allows it to effectively transfer heat away from the source and dissipate it into the surrounding environment.

3. Can the shape or size of the material affect heat dissipation?

Yes, the shape and size of the material can have an impact on heat dissipation. A larger surface area allows for more heat to be dissipated, while a thinner shape can result in faster heat transfer. Additionally, the shape and size of the material can affect air flow, which can also impact heat dissipation.

4. How does the thickness of nylon and steel affect heat dissipation?

The thickness of the material can affect heat dissipation as thicker materials will take longer to conduct heat away from the source. In general, steel is thicker than nylon, so it may take longer to dissipate heat. However, other factors like thermal conductivity and surface area also play a role.

5. Is there a significant difference in the cost of using nylon vs steel for heat dissipation?

In general, steel tends to be more expensive than nylon, so using steel for heat dissipation may result in higher costs. However, this cost may be worth it for applications that require efficient heat dissipation, as steel is more effective at dissipating heat than nylon.

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