A new laser flash system for measurement of the thermophysical properties

The flash method is a well-known technique for measurement of the thermophysical properties (thermal diffusivity, specific heat and thermal conductivity) of solid materials. Easy sample preparation, fast measurement times and high accuracy are only some of the advantages of this non-contact, non-destructive testing technique. A new laser flash system, the NETZSCH LFA 457 MicroFlash, was developed for measurement of the thermophysical properties (thermal diffusivity, specific heat, thermal conductivity). The system can be equipped with two different user-interchangeable furnaces allowing measurement between −125 and 1100 °C. The vacuum-tight construction of the system allows tests under well-defined atmospheres as well as under vacuum. The integrated automatic sample changer enables testing of up to three samples at the same time. Presented in this work are the technical details of the instrument and some performance tests as well as various application examples on industrially relevant materials