Multilayer Heat Conduction Problems
Construction and development using multilayer components is of significant interest due to the added advantage of combining different thermophysical properties. These components find a wide range of applications in various automotive, space, chemical, civil and nuclear industries. Temperature distribution in such components, with the presence of sinks/sources or convective boundary conditions, may either be obtained analytically or numerically. Though not always available, exact analytical solutions are desirable since: (1) better insight can be gained through the mathematical form of an analytical solution compared to a discrete numerical solution; and (2) these analytical solutions can be used as benchmark or reference results to test and “verify” numerical algorithms and codes. Though useful, analytical solutions to the problem of multidimensional transient heat conduction in several multilayer geometries are still lacking. In an effort to bridge the gap, we are developing analytical solutions for several multi-layer geometries including cylindrical and spherical geometries.