Analysis of Thermal Conduction Effects on Thermoelastic Temperature Measurements for Composite Materials

Measurement of the temperature changes which occur as a body undergoes a change in stress is becoming a widely used technique for the analysis of surface stress fields. In this paper, an investigation into the effects of thermal conduction on surface thermoelastic temperature changes for composite materials is reported. A mathematical model which shows the effects of thermal conduction is developed, and the results from this model are compared with experimental data. The mathematical model is then extended to solve for heat transfer between two thermally dissimilar materials. It is shown how this model can be used to account for the effects of a surface epoxy layer on the observed thermoelastic temperature changes.