Thermophysical Characterization of Elastic Solids: A Novel Application for the Material Testing Machine

The conventional machine for the mechanical testing of materials finds a new application in thermophysical characterization of a large class of elastic solids, including metals and ceramics. A measuring technique, which is based on the thermoelastic effect and exploits a simple accessory for the testing machine, has been improved and is critically reviewed here. The technique allows the simultaneous measurement of the thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity, the thermal expansion coefficient or alternatively the specific heat, and the Grüneisen parameter. Operational criteria for measurement and data analysis are preseInted and discussed. The method has been validated at room temperature using several Certified Reference Materials; its precision and accuracy turn out to be comparable to those of established methods.