One way to view thermal diffusivity is as the ratio of the time derivative of temperature to its curvature, quantifying the rate at which temperature concavity is "smoothed out". In a substance with high thermal diffusivity, heat moves rapidly through it because the substance conducts heat quickly relative to its energy storage capacity or "thermal bulk".
Thermal diffusivity and thermal effusivity are related concepts and quantities used to simulate non-equilibrium thermodynamics. Diffusivity is the more fundamental concept and describes the stochastic process of heat spread throughout some local volume of a substance. Effusivity describes the corresponding transient process of heat flow through some local area of interest. Upon reaching a steady state, where the stored energy distribution stabilizes, the thermal conductivity (k) may be sufficient to describe heat transfers inside solid or rigid bodies by applying Fourier's law.[6][7]
Thermal diffusivity is often measured with the flash method.[8][9] It involves heating a strip or cylindrical sample with a short energy pulse at one end and analyzing the temperature change (reduction in amplitude and phase shift of the pulse) a short distance away.[10][11]
Thermal diffusivity of selected materials and substances
Thermal diffusivity of selected materials and substances[12]
^Hetnarski, Richard B.; Eslami, M. Reza (2009). Thermal Stresses – Advanced Theory and Applications (Online-Ausg. ed.). Dordrecht: Springer Netherlands. p. 170. doi:10.1007/978-3-030-10436-8. ISBN978-1-4020-9247-3.
^
W. J. Parker; R. J. Jenkins; C. P. Butler; G. L. Abbott (1961). "Method of Determining Thermal Diffusivity, Heat Capacity and Thermal Conductivity". Journal of Applied Physics. 32 (9): 1679. Bibcode:1961JAP....32.1679P. doi:10.1063/1.1728417.
^Brown; Marco (1958). Introduction to Heat Transfer (3rd ed.). McGraw-Hill. and Eckert; Drake (1959). Heat and Mass Transfer. McGraw-Hill. ISBN978-0-89116-553-8. {{cite book}}: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help) cited in Holman, J.P. (2002). Heat Transfer (9th ed.). McGraw-Hill. ISBN978-0-07-029639-8.
^ abV. Casalegno; P. Vavassori; M. Valle; M. Ferraris; M. Salvo; G. Pintsuk (2010). "Measurement of thermal properties of a ceramic/metal joint by laser flash method". Journal of Nuclear Materials. 407 (2): 83. Bibcode:2010JNuM..407...83C. doi:10.1016/j.jnucmat.2010.09.032.
^ abcdLide, David R., ed. (1992). CDC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics (71st ed.). Boston: Chemical Rubber Publishing Company. cited in Baierlein, Ralph (1999). Thermal Physics. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. p. 372. ISBN978-0-521-59082-2. Retrieved 1 December 2011.
^Lienhard, John H. Lienhard, John H. (2019). A Heat Transfer Textbook (5th ed.). Dover Pub. p. 715.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^ abO. Koszor; A. Lindemann; F. Davin; C. Balázsi (2009). "Observation of thermophysical and tribological properties of CNT reinforced Si3 N4". Key Engineering Materials. 409: 354. doi:10.4028/www.scientific.net/KEM.409.354. S2CID136957396.