Estimation of Effective Thermal Conductivity of Wood by Analysis of Tactile Warmth

This paper describes the estimation of effective thermal conductivity of wood by analysis of tactile warmth. At first, heat flux from hand to wood is analyzed by semi-infinite body contact model and plate contact model. Secondary, heat flux from hand to woods is measured experimentally. In the case of contact with paulownia, measured heat flux and calculated ones by both contact models coincide with each other for 20 seconds after contact. Then the product of measured heat flux and square root of the circular constant and time becomes constant. The constant determines the thermal diffusivity of the subject's hand when the thermal effusivity of the paulownia is known. We can continue to determine the thermal effusivities of other woods after we know the thermal effusivity of the subject's hand. The estimated thermal conductivities were larger than ones measured by the hot wire method.