Problem of Intense Surface Heating of a Slab Accompanied by Change of Phase

Abstract

In an attempt to bound the problem, steady-state solutions are obtained for the speed of surface recession (melting) and the internal temperature history of a slab which uniformly absorbs heat on one face at a large caloric rate. The solutions are found to be sensitive to assumptions that must be made regarding both the thickness attained by the layer of molten matter produced during the heat pulse and the mechanisms (e.g., air drag, evaporation) that control this thickness.