Appendix B

Properties of Air
B.1 Standard Properties
The properties of air are of interest in the context of damper cooling, and for its behaviour internally
under pressure, and when forming an emulsion. Table B.1 gives the basic values for standard
conditions.
The effective critical point for air (not a pure substance) is:
PC 3:72 MPa
TC
140:7  C 132:5 K
Table B.1 Standard properties of dry air at sea-level, 15 C
Constituents by mass

Nitrogen
Oxygen
Argon
Carbon dioxide

(N2)
(O2)
(Ar)
(CO2)

0.7553
0.2314
0.0128
0.0005

Temperature

TC
TK
P
r
m
n

15
288.15
101325
1.2256
17:83  10
6
14:55  10
6

C
K
Pa
kg/m3
N s/m2
m2/s

Ratio of specific heats

mm
RA
cP
cV
g

28.965
287.05
1005
718
1.400

kg/kmol
J/kg K
J/kg K
J/kg K

Thermal conductivity
Speed of sound
Prandtl number

k
VS
Pr

0.02534
340.6
0.710

W/m K
m/s

Pressure (absolute)
Density
Dynamic viscosity
Kinematic viscosity
Molar mass
Specific gas constant
Specific heats

The Shock Absorber Handbook, Second Edition John C. Dixon

2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. ISBN: 978-0-470-51020-9

The Shock Absorber Handbook

376

Avogadros number is 6:0225  1026 molecules/kmol, so the mass of an average air molecule is
48:1  10
27 kg. At standard temperature and pressure (15 C, 101325 Pa) the molecular density is
25:5  1024 molecules/m3.

B.2 Effect of Temperature

For cooling analysis the properties of air are required from low ambient, e.g. minus 40 C, up to
maximum damper temperatures of 130 C.
Air can be treated for most purposes as an ideal gas. The following equations are all of good
engineering accuracy over the relevant range.
The relative molecular mass (molecular weight) of dry air is
MA 28:965
with a corresponding molar mass
mA 28:965 kg=kmol
The specific gas constant is
RA 287:05 J=kg K
The absolute (kelvin) temperature TK in terms of the Celsius temperature TC is
TK 273:15 TC
and in terms of the Fahrenheit temperature is
TK 273:15 TF
32=1:8
At absolute pressure PN=m2 Pa (pascal)) the density r is
r

P
RA TK

or, by comparison with a reference condition P0 and TK0

    
r
P
TK0

r0
P0
TK
The specific thermal capacity at constant pressure cP is given by the empirical expression
cP 1002:5 275  10
6 TK
2002 J=kg K
which, by comparison with tables, is within 0.1% from 200 to 450 K (
70 to 180 C).
The specific heat at constant volume cV is then
cV cP
RA

Properties of Air

377

A direct empirical expression for specific thermal capacity at constant volume is

cV 717:8 0:07075TK
300 0:26125  10
3 TK
3002
which is within 0.2% from 0 to 400 C and within 1% from
100 to 500 C.
The ratio of specific thermal capacities g is
cP
cV

g
The thermal conductivity k is given by
k

0:02646 TK1:5
W=m K
TK 245:4  10
12=TK

This (unlikely looking) equation has been adapted by the author from an imperial units equation
used for the production of reference tables of range 1001000 K. A simpler expression adequate for
cooling calculations is


TK 0:8646
k 0:02624
W=m K
300
which is within 1% for
30 to 230 C and within 10% for
100 to 700 C.
The dynamic viscosity m is given by

1:458  10
6 TK1:5

Pa s N s=m2
TK 110:4

This expression is used for the production of reference tables (100800 K) so, presumably, is more
than sufficiently accurate for engineering purposes.
The kinematic viscosity n (SI units m2/s) is, by definition
n

m
r

The Prandtl number is, by definition,

Pr

cP m
k

For consistency this may be found by substitution. A direct empirical expression in the case of air is
Pr 0:680 4:69  10
7 TK
5402
In practice, for normal air cooling
Pr  0:70

The Shock Absorber Handbook

378

The volumetric (cubical) thermal expansion coefficient of any permanent gas (at constant pressure)
is given by
b

1
TK

The Grashof number (used for convection cooling) is

Gr

bgr2 X 3 TS
TA
m2

where X is a length dimension, TS is the surface temperature and TA is the ambient air temperature. This
can be expressed as
Gr CGr X 3 TS
TA
with a Grashof coefficient
CGr

bgr2 bg
2
n
m2

Using b 1=TK , this becomes

CGr

gr2
TK m2