lämpöjohtavuusmittaukset

Lämpöjohtavuus, often translated as thermal conductivity, is a material property that describes its ability to conduct heat. It is a measure of how effectively thermal energy is transferred through a substance via molecular collisions or the movement of free electrons. Materials with high thermal conductivity, such as metals, transfer heat rapidly, while materials with low thermal conductivity, like insulators (e.g., styrofoam or air), resist heat flow.

The SI unit for thermal conductivity is watts per meter-kelvin (W/(m·K)). This unit indicates the amount of heat energy in watts that flows through a square meter of material with a thickness of one meter when there is a temperature difference of one kelvin across that meter. Factors such as temperature, pressure, and the phase of the material can influence its thermal conductivity. For example, most solids have higher thermal conductivity than their liquid or gaseous counterparts. Understanding thermal conductivity is crucial in various fields, including engineering, building design, and thermodynamics, for applications ranging from heat sinks in electronics to insulation in buildings.