Determination of Thermophysical Properties of Fluid Metals by Wire-Explosion Experiments

Wire explosion experiments were used to obtain thermophysical properties of tungsten. These properties are specific heat, thermal expansion coefficient, compressibility, and electrical and thermal conductivities and their dependences on temperature. There are strong indications that the emissivity in the liquid range should be dependent on temperature. A proposal has been made for determining the emissivity from comparison of experiments with model calculations. The temperature range is extended up to 10,000 K, and first indications for the nearcritical- point behavior were obtained. Other properties such as diffusivity, viscosity, and surface tension may possibly also be derived in this range.