Thermal Conductivity

MSE 311 Autumn 2014

Lab 2
Thermal Conductivity
The ability for a material to transfer/conduct
heat

3 Types of heat transfer
Conduction
Radiation
Convection

Heat Conduction
How is heat transferred through a material?
Collisions of particles
Molecules
Atoms
Electrons


Thermal Conduction in Materials
Rank the following materials by their thermal
conductivities:
Aluminum, Alumina, HDPE, Diamond

1. Diamond >2000 W/K-m
2. Aluminum 210 W/K-m
3. Alumina 46 W/K-m
4. HDPE 0.3 W/K-m
Thermal vs Electrical Conductivity
Thermal Conductivity vs Temperature
Finding Thermal Conductivity
Thermal conductivity () is defined as the
quantity of heat () transmitted in time ()
through a thickness () in a direction normal to a
surface of area () due to a temperature
difference .
=

= ()
=
= =

Finding Thermal Conductivity
=

= 0 (Steady State)

1
=
2


1
=
1

1

2
=
1

2

X Y

1

2

1

2



1 2 3 4

1

2

1

2

My Setup
4340
Steel
400
Monel

1

2

1

2



4
3 2 1

2

Todays Experiment
Use LabVIEW to collect temperature data from
steady state heat flow through different
materials.


TC1
TC2
L1
=

1

Alternative Setup

TC1
TC2
L1 L2 TC1
TC2

2

=

1
=
1

1

2
=
1

2

Known Unknown
Assumptions
1. Heat is not lost radially through the material
2. Heat flux is about the same between
experiments


Thermocouples
Thermoelectric Effect or Seebeck Effect
Seebeck coefficient =

Thermocouples
Thermoelectrics