Thermal Characterization of Multilayer Structures from Transient Thermal Response

Abstract

Most methods for the characterization of the thermal properties of materials can only be implemented on macroscopic homogeneous specimens with a simple geometry such as rods or single slabs. This paper addresses the issue of the non destructive evaluation of multilayered structures. Assuming a planar heat flow, analytical solutions of the temperature were found for two and three layer geometries. Experimental data was taken on samples composed of typical materials to validate the theory. The material properties in each layer were found by fitting the thermal responses with the analytic solutions.