Thermal Conductivity Measurements of Thin Insulating Layers Deposited on High-Conducting Sheets

The thermal conductivity of thin insulating layers and coatings deposited on high-conducting sheets has been measured using the hot disk technique. The need for this type of measurements stems mainly from the electronics industry. In many situations, the materials supporting the thin layers or films are in the shape of thin sheets—often highly conducting ceramics, metals or anisotropic composites with a high-conducting component in the plane of the sheet. The present measurement setup has some iInteresting advantages with possibilities to design and optimize a system for performing convenient measurements on textiles. Although apparent properties are studied in the present investigation, the need to address thermal contact problems in general engineering constructions, including iInterfacial layers and thermal contact resistances, is discussed here. Experiences in this field indicate that, in order to perform correct thermal analysis and design, it is necessary to treat bulk material, thermal contact resistances, and iInterfaces separately. This is demonstrated by the fact that there is often a difference in iInterface conditions when performing a measurement as compared with the situation in which a manufactured component is being used.