A noncontact method for measuring thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity of anisotropic materials

A noncontact method for measuring the thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity of anisotropic materials is proposed. This method is based on the fact that the surface temperature variation with time depends on the thermal properties of the material when its surface is heated locally. The three-dimensional transient heat conduction equation in the material is solved numerically. The dimensionless average surface temperature variations are obtained along each principal axis: that is, thex andy axes. The relation between the dimensionless temperature and the Fourier number is expressed by a polynomial equation and used as a master plot, which is a basic relation to be compared with measured temperature variation. In the experiments, the material surface is heated with a laser beam and the surface temperature profiles are measured by an infrared thermometer. The measured temperature variations with time are compared with the master plots to yield the thermal conductivity λ _x and thermal diffusivityx _v in thex direction and the thermal conductivity ratioE _xy (=λ _y λ _x ) simultaneously. To confirm the applicability and the accuracy of the present method, measurements were performed on multilayered kent-paper, vinyl chloride, and polyethylene resin film, whose thermal properties are known. From numerical simulations, it is found that the present method can measure the thermophysical properties λ _x , α _x andE _xy within errors of ±6, ±22, and ±5%, respectively, when the measuring errors of the peak heat flux, the heating radius, and the surface temperature rise are assumed to be within ±2, ±3%, and ±0.2 K, respectively. This method could be applied to the measurement of thermophysical properties of biological materials.     

Measurement and evaluation of the thermal diffusivity of two-layered materials

Transient methods, such as those with pulse- or step-wise heating, have often been used to measure thermal diffusivity of various materials including layered composite materials. The aim of the present study is to investigate effects of various parameters on the measurement of thermal diffusivity when the transient methods are applied. Mainly a two-layered material in the pulsewise heating method is considered because of its simplicity and usefulness in identifying and determining the effects of the parameters. First, it has been shown that there exists a special condition for determining the thermal diffusivity of a component in the two-layered material whose other relevant thermophysical properties are known. Second, it has been shown that the thickness of the laserbeam absorption layer, which inevitably makes sample material into the twolayered material, may cause a relatively large error when the thermal diffusivity of the base material is high. Finally, it has been derived a definite relation between the apparent thermal diffusivity obtained from the temperature response and the mean thermal diffusivity, which has a physical meaning related to the thermal resistance.     

Estimation of the thermal diffusivity profile in functionally gradient materials with the stepwise heating method

Temperature response in a functionally gradient material (FGM) which is subjected to stepwise heating is investigated, to estimate the profile of the thermal diffusivity from the temperature response at the rear surface of the FGM. Emphasis is placed on a distribution parameter which gives the profiles of the thermophysical properties when an exact analytical solution exists for the temperature response in the FGM. An explicit expression to determine the distribution parameter is obtained as a function of the thermophysical properties at the rear surface. This explicit expression can represent the dependence of the temperature response on the thermophysical properties within 5% in comparison to the exact solution. It is expected that this identification can provide useful insight into the estimation of thermophysical properties in FGMs. The usefulness of this relation is also examined by comparing given and estimated profiles for the thermal diffusivity. Fair agreement is demonstrated as far as the trend and the approximate magnitude are concerned.     

Determination of thermal diffusivity of solids by use of periodic heat flow

This paper deals with the determination of thermal diffusivity in a cylindrical specimen by the use of a periodic heat flow in the axial direction. Heat transfer from the periphery is taken into account, and its influence upon the evaluation of thermal diffusivity from measurement of phase lag and amplitude decrement, respectively, is discussed. Experimental conditions are pointed out for which the evaluation can be done as for a semiinfinite specimen. Theoretical considerations are compared with experimental results.     

材料热扩散率的非稳态测量与应用

热扩散率是材料热物性中一个非常重要的参数。在材料热扩散率的测试中,主要是利用非稳态方法进行测量。非稳态测量方法具有测量周期短、测试方便、结果准确等优点。主要对常用的5种利用非稳态测试材料热扩散率的方法进行了阐述,详细介绍了它们的工作原理、方法特点以及近几年来的科研成果。同时,列举了目前热扩散率测试的一些常用产品和相关测试标准。最后,对热扩散率测试的未来发展趋势进行了展望。     

Isothermal thermal diffusivity of iron oxide

Using the flash technique, the thermal diffusivity of iron oxide has been measured as a function of time at temperatures ranging from 623 to 753 K to study the isothermal decomposition of wustite to magnetite and iron. The results are briefly discussed in terms of transformation kinetics and it is shown that the data are consistent with the growth of a fixed number of nuclei, all of which are present at the start of transformation.     

The thermal diffusivity of argon in the critical region

In this paper experimental results on the thermal diffusivity of argon in the supercritical region are reported. Five isotherms were investigated at 150.90, 153.16, 163.15, 173.14, and 188.14 K, in the pressure range from 2 to 13 MPa, corresponding to density variations from 90 to 800kg · m^–3. The experimental thermal diffusivity data are compared with theoretical predictions. The corresponding thermal conductivity coefficients are calculated and correlated with respect to the spinodal curve.     

A dilatometric method to measure the thermal diffusivity of nonmetallic liquids

A new method to measure the thermal diffusivity of liquids is presented. It requires determination of the time dependence of the thermal expansion of the liquid when it is subjected to a heat source at the top of the cell containing the liquid. The high accuracy of the method (about 3%) is due to an essential reduction of convective currents and also to the absence of temperature detectors, which generally introduce unwanted perturbations on the thermal Field.Nomenclature Thermal conductivity - c Specific heat - Density - c = specific heat x density - h Newton coefficient - Thermal diffusivity - T, 0 Temperature - tV Electric signal - Calibration coefficient - _exp, _th Volume change of the liquid     

Measurement of the thermal diffusivity by the thermal wave method using low-power heat sources

The errors in measuring the thermal diffusivity by the plane thermal wave method are considered as a function of the thermal flux power density. The minimum values of the thermal flux power density required for measurements with a specified error and the optimum parameters of the samples and of the heat source are determined. __________ Translated from Izmeritel’naya Tekhnika, No. 8, pp. 44–46, August, 2007.     

Measurement of the thermal diffusivity of thin films by an AC joule-heating method

A new thermal analysis named TWA (Temperature Wave Analysis) is proposed. This technique is based on the AC joule-heating method developed in our laboratory, and makes it possible to obtain thermal diffusivity precisely as a function of temperature at a constant frequency. The theoretical background and the calculation procedure for this technique are reported. This technique was applied to the study of the first order transition of high density polyethylene and the glass transition of glycerin. Paper presented at the Fourth Asian Thermophysical Properties Conference, September 5–8, 1995, Tokyo, Japan.     

Simultaneous measurement of thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity of solids by the parallel-wire method

An improved parallel-wire technique for simultaneous measurement of thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity is presented. The deviation between experimental results and recommended (or another author's) values is less than 5% for fused quartz and refractory brick.     

Measurement of the thermal diffusivity of aqueous solutions of alcohols by a laser-induced thermal grating technique

The thermal diffusivity of methanol, ethanol, and their aqueous solutions was measured at atmospheric pressure and temperature. The measurements were performed with a laser-induced thermal grating technique. The aqueous solutions have weight fractions of 20, 40, 60, and 80%. Systematic errors were taken into consideration, and corrections were made to the measured values. Focused laser beams were used, which notably intensify the diffracted signal, reduce the background to zero, and justify neglecting the heterodyne term of the diffracted signal, thus simplifying the data evaluation. Hence, the accuracy of the measurements was improved significantly. The overall accuracy of the measurements is estimated to be better than 1.5%.     

Thermal diffusivity and thermal conductivity of steam in the crossover region

In this paper, we present a comparison of the thermal diffusivity and thermal conductivity data of steam in the temperature range 0.02 K<T-T _c< 140 K with a recent formulation of crossover from singular to regular behavior of the transport properties of fluids. We have used two sets of experimental data previously obtained by the authors. The agreement between experimental and calculated data is good.     

Comparison of thermal conductivity data for partially stabilized zirconia with values derived from thermal diffusivity results

The thermal conductivity of partially stabilized zirconia was measured over the temperature range 320–1273 K using the radial heat flow method. The data have an absolute uncertainty of about ±2% and repeat measurements showed no evidence of changes in the thermal conductivity at high temperatures. This also was true for the thermal diffusivity data, which were obtained in vacuum over the temperature range 300–1473 K. Both sets of thermal conductivity data pass through minima at high temperatures. Quantitative differences were observed in the temperatures and thermal conductivities of the two minima. The results were analyzed by assuming parallel conduction by phonons and photons, and the phonon component was identified by fitting lower-temperature data. Extrapolating this curve allowed identification of the photon contribution to the thermal conductivity at high temperatures. The photon contribution approached a T ³ function and was larger in the thermal conductivity specimens. The difference in the photon contributions correlates with changes in the optical properties of the samples produced during the high temperature measurments.     

Measurement of the thermal diffusivity of thin films on substrate by the photoacoustic method

Measurements of the thermal diffusivity of thin films on substrate have been performed by the photoacoustic method. In order to examine the method we have built a new apparatus and proposed (1) a system calibration procedure using optically and thermally thick reference samples and (2) a data analysis procedure based on the RG (Rosencwaig and Gersho) theory. As a result of using a transparent photoacoustic cell, the systematic errors which are caused by stray light have been reduced. With this apparatus, measurements have been performed on platinum, titanium, and stainless steel (SUS304) thin foils (thickness form 50 to 100 µm) with three different liquid backing materials (water, glycerol, and ethyl alcohol). The reproducibility was within ±7% regardless of film thickness and substrate materials.     

Determination of thermal conductivity from specific heat and thermal diffusivity measurements of plasma-sprayed cermets

The thermal conductivities of three plasma-sprayed cermets have been determined over the temperature range 23–630°C from the measurement of the specific heat, thermal diffusivity, and density. These cermets are mixtures of Al and SiC prepared by plasma spray deposition and are being considered for various applications in magnetic confinement fusion devices. The samples consisted of three compositions: 61 vol% Al/39 vol% SiC, 74vol% Al/26vol% SiC, and 83 vol% Al/17 vol% SiC. The specific heat was determined by differential scanning calorimetry through the Al melt transition up to 720°C, while the thermal diffusivity was determined using the laser flash technique up to 630°C. The linear thermal expansion was measured and used to correct the diffusivity and density values. The thermal diffusivity showed a significant increase after thermal cycling due to a reduction in the intergrain contact resistance, increasing from 0.4 to 0.6 cm²·^–1 at 160°C. However, effective medium theory calculations indicated that the thermal conductivities of both the Al and the SiC were below the ideal defect-free limit even after high-temperature cycling. The specific heat measurements showed suppressed melting points in the plasmasprayed cermets. The 39 vol% SiC began a melt endotherm at 577°C, which peaked in the 640–650°C range depending on the sample thermal history. Chemical and X-ray diffraction analysis indicated the presence of free silicon in the cermet and in the SiC powder, which resulted in a eutectic Al/Si alloy.Paper presented at the Ninth Symposium on Thermophysical Properties, June 24–27, 1985, Boulder, Colorado, U.S.A.     

Thermal diffusivity of fluids in a broad region around the critical point

Dynamic light scattering is a suitable method for the investigation of transport properties such as the thermal diffusivity of optically transparent fluids. The main advantages of the method are its quickness, the fact of the thermodynamic state of equilibrium of the sample (gradients are not required), and the relatively simple evaluation of data without the necessity of calibration. However, an insufficient production of intensity of scattered light may be a limiting effect. For that reason the vicinity of the gas-liquid critical point represents the classical range of application. In this paper, it is shown that by means of an appropriate choice of experimental apparatus, measurements are also feasible in an extended range of states. Broad regions around critical points of three pure fluids (sulfur hexafluoride, SF₆; ethane, C₂H₆; nitrous oxide, N₂O) over temperature ranges ¦T-T _c¦ of 0.02 to 50 K and density ranges (/_c) of 0.2 to 2 were investigated. In this region the thermal diffusivity shows great variations with temperature and density and cannot be described by means of ideal-gas behavior or relations for liquids. The measurements were carried out along the coexistence curve for both phases, along the critical isochore and along some isotherms with TT _c. The measured or calculated density, pressure, and thermal diffusivity data as well as some correlations are presented.     

Measurement of thermal diffusivity and anisotropy of plasma-sprayed coatings

The thermal diffusivity of free-standing tungsten and zirconia plasma-sprayed coatings was measured in the directions parallel and perpendicular to their surface. The parallel thermal diffusivity was evaluated by a double-sensing Laplace-transform technique and compared to the perpendicular values obtained by the (lash technique. Ratios between the parallel and the perpendicular thermal diffusivity values were in the range of 1.1 to 1.5 for zirconia and 4 to 6 for tungsten. The results are discussed in terms of the coating thickness and microstructure.On leave from Laboratoire d'Énergetique et de Méchanique Théorique et Appliquée, B.P. 160, 54504 Vandoeuvre les Nancy, France.     

Optical measurements of thermal diffusivity of a material

The measurement of thermal diffusivity of a material (in particular, a thin film) is important for various reasons, e.g., to predict the heat transfer in the solid subjected to a thermal process, to monitor surface composition or morphology, or to detect invisible subsurface defects like delaminations. This measurement can be done in a noncontact manner using various photothermal methods. Such methods typically involve pulsed heating of the surface by small amounts using a laser source; the decay of the surface temperature after this pulsed photothermal heating is then probed to provide the thermal diffusivity. Various probing methods have been developed in the literature, including the probing of reflection, refraction, and diffraction from the pulsed heated area, infrared thermal radiometry, and surface deformation. This paper provides an overview of such techniques and some examples of their applications.     

Simultaneous measurements of thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity of liquids under microgravity conditions

A transient short-hot-wire technique is proposed and used to measure the thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity of liquids simultaneously. The method is based on the numerical evaluation of unsteady heat conduction from a wire with the same length diameter ratio and boundary conditions as those in the experiments. To confirm the applicability and accuracy of this method. Measurements were made for five sample liquids with known thermophysical properties and were performed under both normal gravity and microgravity conditions. The results reveal that the present method determines both the thermal conductivity and the diffusivity within 2 and 5%. respectively. The microgravity experiments clearly indicate that even under normal gravity conditions, natural-convection effects are negligible for at least l s after the start of heating. This method would be particularly suitable for a valuable and expensive liquid, and has a potential for application to electrically conducting and or corrosive liquids when the probe is effectively coated with an insulating and anticorrosive material. Paper presented at the Fourth Asian Thermophysical Properties Conference, September 5–8, 1995, Tokyo, Japan.