Investigation of thermal properties of some basalt samples in Egypt

This work aims in studying the temperature dependence of the thermal properties (thermal diffusivity, k, specific heat, C_p and thermal conductivity, ) of some basalt group samples, collected from different regions in the eastern desert of Egypt. The thermal properties of these samples were measured in the temperature range from r.t. to 900 K. The average values of the thermal conductivity of these investigated samples lie in the range from 0.4·10^–3 to 2.01·10^–3 cal cm^–1 s^–1 K^–1. This means that these samples are considered as thermal insulating materials. The thermogravimetric analysis (TG) confirmed that these investigated samples are dry rocks. X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) confirmed that these rock samples have a crystalline phase, the peaks of XRD have a small change in their location as a result of heat treatment. This behaviour was attributed to the oxidation and firing of some minerals after the heat treatment.This revised version was published online in November 2005 with corrections to the Cover Date.