Thermal conductivity is a fundamental property of materials in aircraft design that determines how effectively they conduct heat. It quantifies the rate at which heat is conducted through a material when there is a temperature difference across it. Thermal conductivity is a property and does not have a specific formula, but it can be defined and expressed in SI units. Here’s a definition and explanation:
- Q is the heat transferred (in watts, W).
- k is the thermal conductivity of the material (in watts per meter-kelvin, W/(m·K)).
- A is the cross-sectional area of the material (in square meters, m²).
- ΔT is the temperature difference across the material (in kelvin, K).
- d is the thickness of the material (in meters, m).