A new measuring method to determine material spectral emissivity

Emissivity is a measure of how well a real surface can radiate energy as compared with a blackbody. This characteristic radiative number is usually determined by means of optical pyrometry. By contrast an indirect measurement method has been developed which enables the determination of the normal spectral emissivity of various materials at a specific wavelength, A heat flow induced in a test body by the absorbed irradiation of a laser beam may be correlated with the spectral emissivity of its surface. The theory of the measuring principle is discussed and the feasibility of the method evaluated by means of practical experiments utilizing a thermopile built up using a thick film technique.