Glossary

Thermophysical Properties

Thermophysical properties are parameters for the description of heat transfer phenomena on the basis of the Fourier law. Temperature-dependent values for DensityThe mass density is defined as the ratio between mass and volume. density, Specific Heat Capacity (cp)Heat capacity is a material-specific physical quantity, determined by the amount of heat supplied to specimen, divided by the resulting temperature increase. The specific heat capacity is related to a unit mass of the specimen.specific heat capacity and Thermal ConductivityThermal conductivity (λ with the unit W/(m•K)) describes the transport of energy – in the form of heat – through a body of mass as the result of a temperature gradient (see fig. 1). According to the second law of thermodynamics, heat always flows in the direction of the lower temperature.thermal conductivity or Thermal DiffusivityThermal diffusivity (a with the unit mm2/s) is a material-specific property for characterizing unsteady heat conduction. This value describes how quickly a material reacts to a change in temperature.thermal diffusivity are needed, e.g., for the numerical simulation of casting processes or temperature distribution in an electronic device. The NETZSCH DSC, DIL and LFA systems can be used for measurement of the thermophysical properties.