Measurement of thermal properties of a ceramic/metal joint by laser flash method

This work describes the measurement of thermal diffusivity and the subsequent calculation of thermal conductivity and thermal contact resistance (from room temperature to 800 °C in N2 atmosphere) at the material interface for carbon/carbon composites (C/C) joined to copper by using the laser flash method. According to these measurements, the thermal resistance at the interface, that is related to the heat transfer through the solid, is <10−6 m2 K W−1 up to 800 °C, indicating a high quality of the joint and no limitations for the thermal heat transfer during operation, e.g. in a nuclear fusion reactor. This measurement is proposed as an innovative non-contact and qualitative investigation technique to assess the ceramic/metal joint integrity.