Steady-state determination of temperature-dependent thermal conductivity

An algorithm is proposed for solving the inverse problem of determining thermal conductivity, which is assumed to be a polynomial function of temperature. The problem model can be either two-dimensional or axisymmetric. Necessary input data for the algorithm are total heat inputs and temperature measurements, but not heat input distribution. An axisymmetnic experimental model is used to provide simulated experimental data for testing the algorithm. Results obtained by the algorithm are shown to be affected by the number of heat inputs, random errors in temperature measurement, and the number of coefficients in the thermal conductivity function. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd.