C-Therm’s Trident thermal conductivity measurement is based on the modified transient plane source (MTPS) technique. The MTPS method provides a fast, highly-accurate, and easy way to measure the thermal conductivity of both isotropic and anisotropic samples. For this reason it has become a very popular tool for rapid quality control in the manufacturing of conductive polymers with oriented glass fibres and other fillers for improved heat transport.
How To Measure Thermal Conductivity of Anisotropic or Oriented Samples
With C-Therm’s patented one-sided sensor, clients enjoy the added benefit of not having to mock up specific samples for thermal conductivity testing. The only requirement is to cover the active 18-mm diameter surface area of the sensor. The figure below illustrates the testing of tensile bars. The bars were described as a polymer resin with carbon fibres heavily oriented in the in-plane direction, and were already produced for testing the tensile strength of the material. The grip section provided sufficient contact area for the through-plane thermal conductivity measurement. The limited 4mm thickness of the bars required multiple samples to be clamped together for the in-plane measurement. In being able to use tensile bars for testing both the through-plane and in-plane thermal conductivity, this saves the client time and money in ensuring the product is meeting the critical performance attributes for heat transport.
| Through-Plane | In-Plane | |
| Thermal Conductivity (W/mK | 1.32 | 2.587 |