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Mechanical Engineering vocabulary · Thermodynamics and Heat Transfer

Thermal conductivity

Meaning in mechanical engineering, with examples

nounCommon term

In mechanical engineering, thermal conductivity means: A material property that shows how easily heat passes through a material by conduction, measured in W/(m·K). Copper conducts heat very well; insulation foam does not.

In Turkish: ısıl iletkenlik, ısı iletim katsayısı, termal iletkenlik

How it is used

Used in material selection, heat sink design, insulation and heat transfer calculations. It is written with the symbol k or λ (lambda). Engineers choose high-conductivity materials for heat sinks and low-conductivity materials for insulation.

Example sentences

  1. Aluminum is used for heat sinks because of its high thermal conductivity and low weight.

  2. The insulation has a thermal conductivity of 0.035 W/(m·K).

Common collocations

  • high thermal conductivity
  • low thermal conductivity
  • thermal conductivity value
  • thermal resistance
  • heat transferThe movement of thermal energy from a hotter place to a colder one. It happens in three ways: conduction, convection and radiation.
  • convectionHeat transfer between a surface and a moving fluid such as air or water, or within the fluid as it flows. It can be natural, or forced by a fan or pump.
  • specific heatThe amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of 1 kg of a material by 1 °C (1 K). Water has a high value, about 4.18 kJ/(kg·K).
  • thermal expansionThe increase in size of a material when its temperature rises. Each material expands by a different amount, given by its coefficient of thermal expansion.

More terms: Thermodynamics and Heat Transfer

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