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High Temperature Thermophysical Properties of 22 Pure Metals
Author: Gernot Pottlacher
Publisher: Edition Keiper, Graz, Austria
Hardbound, 152 pages, ISBN 978-3-9502761-6-9

Reviewed by: I. Egry

There are not many groups worldwide engaged in measuring high temperature thermophysical properties; G. Pottlacher’s group at the university of Graz is one of them. His group has worked on the high temperature properties of metals for about 30 years, and this book is a compilation of the results obtained. The method employed throughout is fast pulse heating, also known as the “exploding wire” technique. In addition to delivering data in the solid phase, this method provides also access to the liquid phase, thanks to fast data acquisition. It is possible to measure thermal expansion, enthalpy, heat capacity and electrical resistivity of the solid and liquid metal as function of temperature until the molten wire collapses. This technique is suitable for metals with high melting points and, consequently, the 22 metals investigated are mainly transition, noble and rare-earth metals, namely (in alphabetical order) Co, Cu, Au, Hf, In, Ir, Fe, Pb, Mo, Ni, Nb, Pd, Pt, Re, Rh, Ag, Ta, Ti, W, V, Zn and Zr.

The book contains a short introduction, explaining how the data were obtained, and one section for each metal considered. Each section starts with a basic survey, including the metal’s history, its common uses, its relevance in daily life, safety and health aspects. The second part is devoted to the measured data. These are presented in graphical form with indicative error bars. In addition, recommended values are provided as polynomial fits. From the data, additional thermophysical properties like thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity can be derived. A comprehensive bibliography, quoting the original publications from which the data were extracted, is also given.

Everybody who works in the area of high temperature thermophysical properties will find this book a useful compilation. It represents state-of-the-art results, based on the author’s expert knowledge. It is the strength of the book that it contains only data measured by the author’s group, therefore allowing cross comparisons between the elements without having to deal with potential systematic differences. It is a valuable complement to existing collections on thermophysical properties of (liquid) metals, published in books or scattered in journal publications or review papers.

full text (IP)