Infrared thermography protocol for simple measurements of thermal diffusivity and conductivity

An accurate characterization of thermal properties requires the knowledge of both thermal diffusivity and conductivity. Most of the time, the thermal conductivity have to be measured with complicated setups. In this paper, we show that a combination of two experiments carried out with the same setup – stimulated infrared thermography – allows to estimate straightforwardly and quickly the absolute value of the thermal diffusivity and the thermal conductivity relatively to a reference material.

► Phase and amplitude infrared images are analysed. ► We show that temperature phase images can provide absolute thermal diffusivity. ► Relative thermal conduction is deduced from temperature amplitude measurements. ► The experimental procedure is relatively rapid and requires little preparation.