Thermal conductivity: A review of some important developments

Abstract

Abstract Some recent developments are presented which relate to the thermal conductivity of metals and its measurement. These include the influence of sample size on the electronic thermal conductivity of very pure metals, the thermal conductivity minimum of aluminium and a few other metals at sub-normal temperatures, the high-temperature thermal conductivity and increasing Lorenz function of platinum, with particular reference to the experiments of Flynn and O'Hagan (1967), the thermal conductivity of molten metals and the recently reported Lorenz functions decreasing with increase in temperature to well below the theoretical value, and the encouraging results of an investigation in progress at the Thermophysical Properties Research Center (TPRC) on direct electrical heating methods for the measurement of metallic thermal conductivities to high temperatures. Modern computer techniques avoid the restrictions and approximations introduced in the many existing methods and allow thermal conductivity to be accurately evaluated from the observed temperature profile. This method has the additional advantage that many other properties can be obtained to high temperatures for the same sample and experimental conditions. The account shows that despite the amount of effort already devoted to thermal conductivity determinations, this still remains a most rewarding field requiring further accurate measurements.