High temperature (till 1500°C) contemporary thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity measurements with the step flat heat source

The method for contemporary measuring thermal conductivity, thermal diffusivity and thermal contact resistance up to 1500°C has been assessed. First the heat propagation model has been developed to be used in least square procedure to process temperature data and give the best estimate on the unknown parameters. Second special devices to be used in the experimental procedure have been designed and built or are going to be built. In the meanwhile ambient temperature tests on bricks have been carried out to establish the data processing procedure, and to recognize the experimental troubles likely to be found. These tests shows that the experimental data well follow the theoretical prediction, the thermophysical parameter can be evaluated with good accuracy, and that care must be taken to satisfying the theoretical assumptions on the base of the model, and to accurately process data for taking into account mutual dependence of the parameters © 2009 SPIE.