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THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY, DIFFUSIVITY PROBE DEVELOPMENT

Award Information
Agency: National Science Foundation
Branch: N/A
Contract: N/A
Agency Tracking Number: 11880
Amount: $207,334.00
Phase: Phase II
Program: SBIR
Solicitation Topic Code: N/A
Solicitation Number: N/A
Timeline
Solicitation Year: N/A
Award Year: 1991
Award Start Date (Proposal Award Date): N/A
Award End Date (Contract End Date): N/A
Small Business Information
Po Box 66
Christiansburg, VA 24073
United States
DUNS: N/A
HUBZone Owned: No
Woman Owned: No
Socially and Economically Disadvantaged: No
Principal Investigator
 Lawrence W Langley
 President
 () -
Business Contact
Phone: () -
Research Institution
N/A
Abstract

A NEW TYPE OF PROBE AND ASSOCIATED COMPUTING INSTRUMENT ARE PROPOSED FOR QUICKLY MEASURING THERMAL PROPERTIES OF SOLID MATERIALS. THE PROPOSED COMBINATION IS BASED ON A MINIATURE THIN FILM HEAT FLUX SENSOR RECENTLY DEVELOPED AT VIRGINIA TECH. THE NEW PROBE ENABLES THE THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY AND DIFFUSIVITY OF SOLID MATERIAL SPECIMENS TO BE MEASURED SIMPLY AND RAPIDLY. AT THE END OF THE PROBE WILL BE A HEAT FLUX SENSOR AND TWO THIN FILM THERMOCOUPLES, APPLIED TO IT BY A MASKED SPUTTERING PROCESS. TO MEASURE THE THERMAL PROPERTIES OF A MATERIAL SPECIMEN, THE PROBE AND SPECIMEN, INITIALLY AT DIFFERENT TEMPERATURES, WILL BE PLACED ABRUPTLY IN CLOSE THERMAL CONTACT BY A MECHANICAL REGISTRATION DEVICE. THE RESULTING FLOW OF HEAT AND THE RAPIDLY CHANGING SURFACE TEMPERATURES OF THE SPECIMEN WILL BE TRANSDUCED INTO TRANSIENT ELECTRICAL SIGNALS. THESEWILL BE MEASURED AND RECORDED AS FUNCTIONS OF TIME. A METHOD FOR COMPUTING THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY AND DIFFUSIVITY FROM THE SIGNALS WILL BE DEVELOPED. A PHASE II PLAN FOR DEVELOPING THE COMPUTING INSTRUMENT ITSELF IS OUTLINED.

* Information listed above is at the time of submission. *

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