Transient heat transfer in solids

Citation

McDowell, Edward R. H. (1964) Transient heat transfer in solids. Dissertation (Ph.D.), California Institute of Technology. http://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechETD:etd-10222002-102244

Abstract

The accuracy of approximate calculations of transient temperature distributions in solids is studied, emphasizing easily applied methods for both irregular and regular solids with a heat-transfer coefficient boundary condition. General stability criteria are shown which are easily found and used, and which apply for regular or asymmetric networks.

Analytic solutions of the one-dimensional partial difference equation are found by z-transforms. A. method with points located half an increment inside the surface gives the most accurate solutions. A graphical method is shown analytically to give approximations of engineering accuracy. A procedure is also presented for finding the differencing parameters which give a solution of a specified accuracy with the minimum calculations.

Transient temperature distributions of satisfactory accuracy can be calculated for irregular solids using a relatively coarse network, by locating points that describe the boundary a short distance within, rather than on, the boundary, and by making the interior network as regular as possible.

Thesis Files