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Thermal Properties

Thermal properties are fundamental characteristics of materials that determine how their properties change with temperature. The three main thermal properties discussed are heat capacity, thermal expansion, and thermal conductivity. Heat capacity is related to a material's ability to absorb heat energy and change temperature. Thermal expansion refers to how a material changes dimensions with increasing temperature. Thermal conductivity determines a material's ability to transfer heat energy from one region to another. These properties depend on intermolecular and interatomic forces and influence a wide range of applications.

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386 views7 pages

Thermal Properties

Thermal properties are fundamental characteristics of materials that determine how their properties change with temperature. The three main thermal properties discussed are heat capacity, thermal expansion, and thermal conductivity. Heat capacity is related to a material's ability to absorb heat energy and change temperature. Thermal expansion refers to how a material changes dimensions with increasing temperature. Thermal conductivity determines a material's ability to transfer heat energy from one region to another. These properties depend on intermolecular and interatomic forces and influence a wide range of applications.

Uploaded by

ayham
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Thermal properties

Introduction
The thermal properties of any material are among
the most fundamental, whether directly or
indirectly involved in the material’s application. For
example, it is almost always important to know how
properties of materials change if the temperature is
changed.
The thermal properties of engineering materials are
diverse, and so are their uses in different
applications.
Contents
 Heat capacity
 Thermal expansion
 Thermal
conductivity
Heat capacity

Heat capacity, which is the most fundamental of all


thermal properties, is related to the strength of
intermolecular interactions, phase stability, thermal
conductivity, and energy storage capacity.
A solid material’s potential energy is stored as its heat
energy.
Temperature of a solid is a measure its potential energy.
External energy required to increase temperature of a
solid mass is known as the material’s heat capacity. it is
defined as its ability to absorb heat energy.
Heat capacity has units as J/mol-K or Cal/mol-K.
Thermal expansion

Most materials expand when they are heated,


regardless of the phase of matter. This thermal
expansion (quantified as the coefficient of thermal
expansion, or CTE) can be related directly to the
forces between the atoms. Different thermal
expansions of materials used together in
applications can lead to mechanical problems (loose
fits or thermal stress).
Increase in temperature may cause dimensional
changes.
Linear coefficient of thermal expansion (α) defined
as the change in the dimensions of the material per
unit length.
α has units as (˚C)-1.
α values:
for metals 5-25 x10-6
for ceramics 0.5-15x10-6
for polymers 50-400x10-6
Changes in dimensions with temperature are due
to change in inter-atomic distance, rather than
increase in vibrational amplitude.
Thermal Conductivity
Thermal conductivity determines whether a
material feels hot or cold to the touch, and why
some materials are good thermal insulators while
others efficiently conduct heat. In this chapter, we
consider thermal conductivities of gases and then of
solids.
As for electrical conductivity, the values of thermal
conductivity can vary by orders of magnitude from
one material to another and even within a given
material when the temperature is changed.
Thermal conductivity is ability of a material to
transport heat energy through it from high
temperature region to low temperature region.
Heat is transported in two ways – electronic
contribution, vibrational (phonon) contribution.
With increase in temperature, both number of
carrier electrons and contribution of lattice
vibrations increase. Thus thermal conductivity of a
metal is expected to increase. However, because of
greater lattice vibrations, electron mobility
decreases. The combined effect of these factors
leads to very different behavior for different metals.
Eg.: Thermal conductivity of iron initially decreases
then increases slightly; thermal conductivity
decreases with increase in temperature for
aluminum; while it increases for platinum.

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