The Possibility of Using the Finite Element Method for Determining Thermal Diffusivity on the Example of Nickel Using the Classic and The Modified Pulse Method

Abstract

The main purpose of the work was to present the possibility of using the finite element method implemented in the COMSOL 3.5a software in the heat transfer symmetry 2D module to determine thermal diffusivity by using the classic and modified pulse methods. The method of determining the thermal diffusivity by means of measuring and recording the course of the temperature difference between the extreme surfaces of the tested sample and changes in the temperature increase on the back surface after a laser shot at its front surface, assuming that the sample is adiabatic for a representative experimental course at a given temperature, was discussed. This paper presents the basic metrological conditions for the implementation of the modified pulse method for testing the temperature characteristics of thermal diffusivity on the example of nickel. The heat pulse generated by using the laser method at the extreme surface of the sample for a thermostatic temperature of 341.8 °C was simulated. Using the inverse problem in both the classic and modified methods, the thermal diffusivity of the material in question was determined and these results were compared with the experimentally obtained values. The values of thermal diffusivity differ from those obtained experimentally by 3.3% for the classic method and approximately 2.5% for the modified method. A preliminary analysis of the influence of the number of nodal points on the numerical results obtained was also carried out and the results for the number of nodes between 64 and 17,000 change by only 1.1%. The paper presents a combination of experimental and numerical studies which is useful in science and simplifies the process of time-consuming experimental studies.