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Thermal Properties

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Springer Handbook of Metrology and Testing

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Abstract

If materials – solids, liquids or gases – are heated or cooled, many of their properties change. This is due to the fact that thermal energy supplied to or removed from a specimen will change either the kinetic or the potential energy of the constituent atoms or molecules. In the first case, the temperature of the specimen is changed, since temperature is a measure of the average kinetic energy of the elementary particles of a sample. In the second case, e.g. the binding energy of these particles is altered, which may cause a phase transition.

Thermal properties are associated with a material-dependent response when heat is supplied to a solid body, a liquid, or a gas. This response might be a temperature increase, a phase transition, a change of length or volume, an initiation of a chemical reaction or the change of some other physical or chemical quantity.

Basically, almost all of the other materials properties treated in Part C, namely mechanical, electrical, magnetic, or optical properties, are temperature-dependent (except a material that is especially designed to be resistant to temperature variations). For example, temperature influences mechanical hardness, electrical resistance, magnetism, or optical emissivity. Temperature is also of importance to the characterization of material performance (Part D) as it influences materials integrity when subject to corrosion, friction and wear, biogenic impact or material–environment interactions. Temperature effects related to these areas are dealt with in the other chapters of this book dedicated to those topics. Only if those properties are needed to explain measuring methods within this chapter are they are outlined in the following sections.

In this chapter, a number of materials properties are selected and called thermal properties, where the effect of thermal energy treatment plays the major role compared to electrical, magnetic, chemical or other effects. The presentation of measurement methods for thermal properties is organized into five parts, referring to:

  1. 1.

    Thermal transport properties, such as thermal conductivity, thermal diffusivity or specific heat capacity, characterizing the ability of materials to conduct, transfer, store and release heat.

  2. 2.

    Phase transitions and chemical reactions of materials. Various calorimetric methods are presented, which are used to investigate e.g. phase transitions, adsorption, and mixing processes. Typical examples are first-order transitions such as boiling and melting, but also combustion and solution processes.

  3. 3.

    Physical properties, which are affected when heat is supplied to a body. The determination of the temperature dependence of these quantities requires knowledge of thermal measurement methods. Among the many different physical quantities the most important for applications in materials science and engineering are length and its relation to thermal expansion.

  4. 4.

    Thermogravimetry, which is important in chemical analysis, see Chap. 4.

  5. 5.

    Temperature measurement methods, since these techniques are essential for all the other measurements described above. Temperature scales and the principles, types and applications of temperature sensors are compiled.

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Abbreviations

AC:

alternating current

CIPM:

Comité Internationale des Poids et Mesures

CIPM:

International Committee of Weights and Measures

CMN:

cerium magnesium nitrate

CTE:

coefficient of thermal expansion

DSC:

differential scanning calorimeter

EMI:

electromagnetic interference

FTIR:

Fourier-transform infrared

GEFTA:

German Society for Thermal Analysis

LGC:

Laboratory of the Government Chemist

LVDT:

linear variable differential transformer

MS:

magnetic stirring

MS:

mass spectrometry

NIST:

National Institute of Standards and Technology

NMR:

nuclear magnetic resonance

NTC:

negative temperature coefficient

PTB:

Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt

PTC:

positive temperature coefficient

SI:

International System of Units

SI:

Système International dʼUnités

SPRT:

standard platinum resistance thermometer

SQUID:

superconducting quantum interference device

SRM:

standard reference material

TG:

thermogravimetry

TMA:

thermomechanical analysis

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt, Abbestrasse 2–12, 10587, Berlin, Germany

    Wolfgang Buck

  2. Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB), Abbestr. 2–12, 10587, Berlin, Germany

    Steffen Rudtsch

Authors
  1. Wolfgang Buck
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  2. Steffen Rudtsch
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Correspondence to Wolfgang Buck or Steffen Rudtsch .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Applied Sciences Berlin, Luxemburger Strasse 10, 13353, Berlin, Germany

    Horst Czichos Prof.

  2. National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS), Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan

    Tetsuya Saito

  3. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Gaithersburg, MD, USA

    Leslie Smith

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Buck, W., Rudtsch, S. (2011). Thermal Properties. In: Czichos, H., Saito, T., Smith, L. (eds) Springer Handbook of Metrology and Testing. Springer Handbooks. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-16641-9_8

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