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In heat transfer, the thermal conductivity of a substance, k, is an intensive property that indicates its ability to conduct heat. For most materials, the amount of heat conducted varies (usually non-linearly) with temperature. [1] Thermal conductivity is often measured with laser flash analysis. Alternative measurements are also established.
The thermal conductivity of a material is a measure of its ability to conduct heat.It is commonly denoted by , , or and is measured in W·m −1 ·K −1.. Heat transfer occurs at a lower rate in materials of low thermal conductivity than in materials of high thermal conductivity.
For example, the material of the wall must not undergo a phase transition, such as evaporation or fusion, at the temperature at which it must conduct heat. But when only thermal equilibrium is considered and time is not urgent, so that the conductivity of the material does not matter too much, one suitable heat conductor is as good as another.
The chemical elements can be broadly divided into metals, metalloids, and nonmetals according to their shared physical and chemical properties.All elemental metals have a shiny appearance (at least when freshly polished); are good conductors of heat and electricity; form alloys with other metallic elements; and have at least one basic oxide.
Gold is a good conductor with a resistivity of 2.44 × 10 −8 Ω·m and is essentially nonmagnetic: = 1, so its skin depth at a frequency of 50 Hz is given by = = Lead, in contrast, is a relatively poor conductor (among metals) with a resistivity of 2.2 × 10 −7 Ω·m , about 9 times that of gold.
The heat flow can be modelled by analogy to an electrical circuit where heat flow is represented by current, temperatures are represented by voltages, heat sources are represented by constant current sources, absolute thermal resistances are represented by resistors and thermal capacitances by capacitors.
As quoted from various sources in an online version of: David R. Lide (ed), CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, 84th Edition.CRC Press. Boca Raton, Florida, 2003; Section 12, Properties of Solids; Thermal and Physical Properties of Pure Metals / Thermal Conductivity of Crystalline Dielectrics / Thermal Conductivity of Metals and Semiconductors as a Function of Temperature
The electrical resistivity of a metallic conductor decreases gradually as temperature is lowered. In normal (that is, non-superconducting) conductors, such as copper or silver, this decrease is limited by impurities and other defects. Even near absolute zero, a real sample of a normal conductor shows some resistance. In a superconductor, the ...