New Technique for Fourier Transform Thermal Analysis

A new technique for the simultaneous measurement of higher order harmonic of temperature wave under temperature scan was proposed. The mathematical rule for the propagation of harmonies in the film shaped specimen was examined and the principle of Fourier transform thermal analysis was theoretically and experimentally justified. This principle applied to a technique called ‘Fourier transform thermal analysis’, makes it possible to determine simultaneously thermal diffusivity, heat capacity per unit volume and thermal conductivity as a function of frequency and temperature. The results on thermoplastics were shown and the glass transition and the crystallization were discussed. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.