One could get an estimate of the thermal conductivity of a metal based on the electrical conductivity, however, thermal conductivity of metals has two components, one of electron conduction and the other lattice/phonon conduction, and the fractions/proportions vary with metals/elements and temperature.abdulbadii said:TL;DR Summary: Viable procedure to meter the heat conductive constant of a metal
What'd be practical method and/or portable, simple tool (like sort of electricians' multimeter) to meter the heat conductive constant of a metal?
Will you be able to insert a standard test sample (standard size and volume) into the meter, or do you want to be able to walk up to a metal wall and just measure its thermal conductivity somehow? If you cannot measure a standard sample size and shape, you can see what other variables will enter in, right?abdulbadii said:What'd be practical method and/or portable, simple tool (like sort of electricians' multimeter) to meter the heat conductive constant of a metal?
Thermal conductivity is a measure of a material's ability to conduct heat. It is important for metals because it affects their performance in applications involving heat transfer, such as heat exchangers, electrical components, and structural materials exposed to high temperatures.
Common methods to measure the thermal conductivity of metals include the steady-state method, the transient hot-wire method, and the laser flash method. Each method has its advantages and is chosen based on factors like the required accuracy, sample size, and temperature range.
The steady-state method involves applying a constant heat flux to one side of a metal sample and measuring the temperature difference across the sample once it reaches thermal equilibrium. The thermal conductivity is then calculated using Fourier's law of heat conduction.
Challenges in measuring the thermal conductivity of metals include ensuring uniform temperature distribution, minimizing heat losses, accurately measuring small temperature differences, and accounting for contact resistance between the sample and measurement apparatus.
Temperature significantly affects the thermal conductivity of metals. Generally, thermal conductivity decreases with increasing temperature due to increased phonon scattering. However, the exact relationship can vary depending on the metal and its specific properties.