Intrinsic Thermal Couples for Measurement in High Temperature and High Heat Flux Environment

We have developed a method to conduct measurement in high temperature and high heat flux environment. The method is based on sensors mounted on the back side of a specimen irradiated by high energy lasers. The sensor readings are used to calculate the front surface temperature and heat flux through inverse heat conduction computations. This paper presents a novel thermal couple arrays known as "intrinsic thermal couples". A metal wire spot-welded to the metal specimen forms each intrinsic thermal couple. Aluminum and stainless steel specimens are tested. The experimental results show that these thermal couple arrays provide data that are rugged and uniquely suited for the high temperature and high heat flux environment.