Evaluation of thermal conductivity from temperature profiles

Abstract

A new dynamic technique for the measurement of thermal conductivity is being developed at IMGC. The experiment consists in bringing the specimen to high temperatures with a current pulse and in measuring the temperature profiles during the free cooling period. Different techniques can be used to extract the information on thermal conductivity from the profiles. The numerical computation of thermal conductivity from the experimental temperature profiles in absolute space is possible, but it is difficult and cumbersome because one must know and take into the account the exact position of the infinitesimal elements of the specimen in different profiles. Computations in tube-space (a fictitious space where no thermal expansion occurs) are simpler and lead to less complex numerical computations. Complementary techniques to evaluate thermal conductivity as a function of temperature or at constant temperature are presented with a discussion of advantages and disadvantages of each method. Computer simulations have tested the precision of the complex software. Numerically generated temperature profiles from known thermophysical properties have been obtained and thermal conductivity has been recomputed from the profiles. The relative difference using different computational approaches and different fitting functions is always less than 0.1%.