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Thermal Conductivity Formula:
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Thermal conductivity (k) is a measure of a material's ability to conduct heat. It represents the quantity of heat that passes through a unit area of the material with a unit temperature gradient per unit time.
The calculator uses the thermal conductivity formula:
Where:
Explanation: The formula converts R-value (thermal resistance) to thermal conductivity by dividing the material thickness by the R-value.
Details: Calculating thermal conductivity is essential for building insulation design, energy efficiency analysis, material selection for thermal applications, and understanding heat transfer properties of various materials.
Tips: Enter material thickness in meters and R-value in m²·K/W. Both values must be positive numbers greater than zero for accurate calculation.
Q1: What is the difference between R-value and k-value?
A: R-value measures thermal resistance (higher is better for insulation), while k-value measures thermal conductivity (lower is better for insulation).
Q2: What are typical k-values for common materials?
A: Copper: ~400 W/m·K, Steel: ~50 W/m·K, Glass: ~1 W/m·K, Wood: ~0.1 W/m·K, Insulation: ~0.04 W/m·K.
Q3: How does thickness affect thermal conductivity?
A: Thermal conductivity is an intrinsic property and doesn't change with thickness. However, thicker materials have higher thermal resistance (R-value).
Q4: Can this calculator be used for composite materials?
A: This calculator gives the effective thermal conductivity for homogeneous materials. For composites, additional calculations for overall thermal resistance may be needed.
Q5: Why are units important in thermal calculations?
A: Thermal calculations require consistent SI units. Using incorrect units (e.g., inches instead of meters) will give erroneous results.