Patent ID: 6331075
Filing Date: 2001-12-18
Classification: G01N

Abstract:
A device for measuring the thermal conductivity of a sample, comprising:an upper slab and a lower slab, said upper slab adjacent to the upper surface of said sample and said lower slab adjacent to the lower surface of said sample, said upper and lower slabs sandwiching said sample in a columnar arrangement, said sample and said slabs forming a sandwiched assembly;a heat source for heating said lower slab;a heat sink for cooling said upper slab and for providing contact pressure onto said specimen;said upper and lower slabs, said heat source, and said heat sink forming a sandwiched assembly;a plurality of thermocouples embedded within and flush with the surfaces of said upper and lower slabs, for measuring the temperature difference across said specimen, further wherein said plurality of thermocouples comprise, at least, one thermocouple embedded at the center of each of the upper and lower surfaces of said upper and lower slabs, one thermocouple embedded at the center of each of the diametrically opposite outer exposed surfaces of said upper and lower slabs, and two thermocouples embedded equidistance along the axial center line within each said upper and lower slabs;insulation means placed at each axial end of said sandwiched assembly to prevent conduction losses;a measuring chamber enclosing said sandwiched assembly and said insulation means, said measuring chamber comprising a vacuum environment having a pressure between approximately 10.sup.-3 to 10.sup.-6 Torr;an anti-radiant shield disposed on the entire interior periphery of said measuring chamber;a temperature controlled water circulator for transferring and receiving water from said heat sink; anda multi-channel data acquisition means for acquiring and supplying data to an on-line computer processing means; wherein said on-line computer processing means processes said data.