Experimental determination of the phonon and electron components of the thermal conductivity of bcc iron

Abstract

A study of the factors which affect the thermal conductivity of αFe and its solutions is described. The results of these experiments define the phonon and electronic components of the thermal conductivity of pure αFe fairly well between 90 and 400 K. Also, the phonon conductivity can be analyzed to identify the strengths of electron-phonon and phonon-phonon scattering, and the latter resistance is in good agreement with theoretical estimates. The scattering of phonons by electrons is intermediate between the small values for noble metals and the strong scattering found in Nb and Ta. An experimental estimate of the electron-phonon mass enhancement factor, 0.4, is derived from the results. Finally, reexamination of the data for ten solid solution alloys suggests that both phonon-scattering mechanisms are influenced by the alloying elements.