Radiance Temperature and Normal Spectral Emittance (in the Wavelength Range of 1.5 to 5 μm) of Nickel at its Melting Point by a Pulse-Heating Technique

The radiance temperature of nickel at its melting point was measured at four wavelengths (in the nominal range of 1.5 to 5 μm) by a pulse-heating technique using a high-speed fiber-coupled four-channel infrared pyrometer. The method was based on rapid resistive self-heating of a specimen from room temperature to its melting point in less than 1 s while simultaneously measuring the radiance emitted by it in four spectral bands as a function of time. A plateau in the recorded radiance-versus-time traces indicated melting of the specimen. The melting-point radiance temperature for a given specimen was determined by averaging the temperature measured along the plateau at each wavelength. The results for several specimens were then, in turn, averaged to yield the melting-point radiance temperature of nickel, as follows: 1316 K at 1.77 μm, 1211 K at 2.26 μm, 995 K at 3.48 μm, and 845 K at 4.75 μm. The melting-point normal spectral emittance of nickel at these wavelengths was derived from the measured radiance in each spectral band using the published value of the thermodynamic (true) melting temperature of nickel.