Chapter 7

Laser Flash Method

Lucas McNamara, Kaitlyn Nicholas

I. Introduction

The Laser Flash Method (LFM) is a technique for establishing thermal diffusivity. This method is
most used since it is quick and offers precise and reproducible results (1). With the LFM, the
thermal conductivity is determined by the increased temperature of a sample from a short laser
pulse of 15 J on one side. The temperature increase caused on the sample generates a heat
wave through the sample until an infrared measuring device detects it on the other side. Since
samples can be heated in a furnace to different temperatures, the dependence of thermal
conductivity on temperature can be examined. LFM is based on an unsteady state of
temperature generation. The generation speed of temperature depends on the thermal
diffusivity (a), which is directly linked to the thermal conductivity (λ), the density (ρ), and the
specific heat capacity (Cp) (2).

Figure 1 shows the temperature rise on the side of the sample facing away from the laser. The
thermal diffusivity is determined using the formula, where Δx is the sample thickness and t is
the time where the upper side reaches half of the maximum temperature rise. Compared to
other methods, the Laser Flash Method has a wide application range. Thermal conductivities
between 0.1 W/mK and over 1000 W/mK can be determined at temperatures between -150 °C
and over 2500 °C (2).

Figure 1 Thermal Diffusivity (1)

The LFM consists of a laser, a furnace, and an IR detector, which are controlled by the Laser
Flash Analysis measurement (Figure 2). A sample is placed in a sample puck, which fits into a
sample carrier (Figure 3) that can carry three smaller sized samples or one large sample. To
collect data, the machine rotates the sample carrier to measure three samples at once (3).

Figure 2 Laser Flash Diagram (3)

 Figure 3 Netzch LFA 457 MicroFlash (3)

II. Advantages

The main advantages of LFM are simplicity, rapidity of measurement, and the possibility to
measure the thermal diffusivity on a wide range of materials within a wide temperature range.
Using a single device, a broad range of thermal diffusivities can be established. If a procedure
with adequate reference samples is used and other thermal properties are measured, this
method provides the possibility of obtaining thermal conductivity. The thermal conductivity is
calculated as the product of the density (ρ), the specific heat (Cp), and the thermal diffusivity.
Measurements are carried out within a few seconds, and samples are tested up to higher
temperatures than by steady-state techniques. Temperatures used to measure thermal
conductivity are between room temperature and 137 K. Since convection loss will not
drastically affect the measurement, the method does not need to run under vacuum. The
sample size can range from 8mm square and 25.4mm in diameter while being 2mm thick. The
small sample size allows for the samples to be tested in large numbers (1, 3, 4).

III. Disadvantages

Having more than one thermal conductivity system allows the freedom to check the other
systems. However, there is only one Laser Flash system. Using the LFM, a sample is run two or
three times on the same system, but accuracy is not guaranteed as the percent error for LFM
system is between 5 and 15%. To ensure data is accurate and reproducible, samples are
measured using LFM and low temperature thermal conductivity systems. A comparison
between the systems is shown in Figure 4. In the case of porous and non-homogeneous
materials, additional care is required. Due to the generation of heat pulse, optical detection,
and high-speed acquisition of data, the required instruments are at high cost (1, 3).

Figure 4 Low Temperature and High Temperature Conductivity Comparison (3)

Figure 5 shows the summary of the Laser Flash Method advantages and disadvantages.

Figure 5 Advantages and Disadvantages of LFM (3)

IV. Modifications

The Parker technique assumes that the sample is isotropic and adiabatic. In Equation 1, thermal
diffusivity is calculated using the sample thickness (L) and the time the device reaches half of
the maximum temperature rise (t½).

Equation 1 Parker Technique (1)

Sine perfect sample conditions are assumed, this technique is not often used. For practical
experimental conditions, other approaches that factor in non-homogeneous materials, heat
losses, finite pulse duration, and non-uniform heating have been applied (1).

The LFA 1000 Laser Flash uses an absolute measurement technique with no required
calibration. The vertical equipment arrangement of a top sensor, a sample in the middle, and
the Laser Flash source on the bottom ensures easy handling and good measurement results.
The adjustable pulse energy ranges from 0.05 to 25 Joule/pulse. Due to the equipment’s
flexibility, demanding samples can be analyzed (5).
 Figure 6 LINSEIS Unparalleled Modular Design (5)

An unparalleled modular system has been designed to upgrade the temperature range and the
detector. According to LINSEIS, the upgrade enables a cost-effective solution whenever the
budget allows. The system can be equipped with an InSb or MCT detector, which covers the
temperature range of sub-ambient to 1600°C. Under defined atmospheric conditions, the
instrument can be operated. A vacuum pump can be attached to minimize heat loss effects,
and an additional gas dosing system can be added to measure under specific atmospheres (5).

V. Procedure

The most common sample type for the laser flash method is to use solid samples but it is
possible to also measure the thermal conductivity of powders and liquids with this method as
well. Since solid samples are the most common application for this method, the following
procedure will describe the solid sample procedure. The samples are typically disk shaped, need
to have a uniform thickness between 1 and 4 millimeters, and should be between 6 and 25.4
millimeters in diameter. To ensure even heating, a thin layer of colloidal micro powder graphite
should be applied to both sides of the sample using three separate layers, allowing the layers to
dry between each application. Once the sample is dried, it can be placed into the sample holder
of the machine. The micro powder graphite makes the samples completely opaque, allowing for
most of the laser's energy to be absorbed by the sample, rather than passing through it (6).
Once the samples are completely dry, they can be loaded into the laser flash analysis (LFA)
machine. This is typically done using sample carriers. These are small containers that have a
hole through them with a small lip to allow the sample to rest in the carrier while still allowing
the laser to directly contact the sample. An example of these can be seen below (7).

Figure 7: Example image of sample holder trays to be used during the laser flash method (7)

As can be seen in the figure above, the number of samples that can be tested depend on the
sample size and how many can fit into the carrier. Sample holders can range from a single
sample to an eighteen-sample holder.

Once the sample or samples are placed into the testing machine, the analysis can begin. The
typical setup of a laser flash analysis machine consists of a powerful laser connected to a power
source at the bottom of the assembly, the sample carrier with samples in the center, and an
infrared (IR) detector with an iris lens to focus at the top. It is important to note that samples
are typically contained within a vacuum during the analysis. This is to help prevent heat loss to
the outside environment and allow for more accurate readings.

During the analysis, pulses of laser light are shot at the surface of the sample while the IR
detector records the sample’s temperature increase on the opposite side. This data along with
time are then recorded onto a computer. The data collected by the analysis can then be used to
directly calculate the thermal diffusivity of the sample. From here, the sample’s thermal
conductivity can be calculated using this value and the material’s specific heat and density. This
calculation will be further discussed in the next section (8, 9).
The following figure shows a simplified schematic of the typical layout of a laser flash analysis
machine along with an example of the output data that would be obtained using this method
(7).

Figure 8: Simplified schematic of a laser flash method machine (7)

VI. Data Results and Discussion

In the following study (10), thermal diffusivity measurements were recorded using the laser
flash method for several materials. The thermal conductivity was then calculated using this and
then compared to reference data, such as material supplier data sheets, and a percent
deviation was calculated as a comparison tool. Specific heat was also determined and
compared to reference data. In this example, the results shown are for polyester resin. Three
samples were used per material. The results for polyester can be seen below.

Table 1: Data for polyester resin tested using the laser flash method (10)

The laser flash method only provides measurements to calculate thermal diffusivity. Therefore,
thermal conductivity must be calculated from this data using the following equation

Equation 2: Thermal conductivity equation

Where:
λ = Thermal Conductivity
α = Thermal Diffusivity (measured)
C = Specific Heat
P

ρ = Material density

An example of the calculation required to calculate the thermal conductivity for Sample 1 can
be seen below.

Figure 9: Sample calculation used to obtain thermal conductivity from a sample in the study (10)
This study is a great example of the accuracy of the laser flash method. For polyester resin, the
percent deviation from the reference data can be seen in Table 1. The largest deviation from
the reference data is only 2.8%. This shows that this method can provide very accurate results,
and since the method is simple to perform and is very quick, it shows that laser flash is one of
the best methods there is when it comes to determining thermal conductivity (10).

VII. Conclusion

The laser flash method for measuring thermal conductivity is becoming more and more
common in many industries. This is largely due to its speed and effectiveness in obtaining the
required data to calculate conductivity. This is all accomplished using a laser to heat a sample
and measuring the surface temperature changes using an IR detector. Although the equipment
required for this type of test can be quite expensive, the speed and accuracy of tests make up
for this downside. Overall, the laser flash method has great potential for future growth in many
different material industries. As technology improves and equipment costs decrease, it is likely
that this method could become the standard method for measuring thermal conductivity.
 VIII. References
1. 2011, W. by A. Z. M. M. 28. Measurement of Thermal Diffusivity Using the Flash
Method. https://www.azom.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=5613 (accessed Feb 8, 2021).
2. Tec-Science; By. Laser-Flash method for determining thermal conductivity (LFA) - tec-
science. https://www.tec-science.com/thermodynamics/heat/laser-flash-method-for-
determining-thermal-conductivity-lfa/ (accessed Feb 8, 2021).
3. Andrews, Justine, "COMPARISON BETWEEN STEADY STATE AND LASER FLASH
TECHNIQUES" (2007). All Theses. 205. https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/all_theses/205
4. Ferrarini, G.; Bortolin, A.; Cadelano, G.; Finesso, L.; Bison, P. Multiple Shots Averaging in
Laser Flash Measurement, 2019.
5. Linseis, C. LASER FLASH ANALYSIS.
6. Thermal Diffusivity and the Laser Flash Method.
https://www.jove.com/v/10488/thermal-diffusivity-and-the-laser-flash-method
(accessed Feb 20, 2021).
7. Linseis. Laser Flash Analysis. https://www.ribori-instrumentation.com/wp-
content/uploads/2018/10/LINSEIS_LFA_1000_2000.pdf.
8. Laser flash method -Thermal diffusivity determination.
https://www.linseis.com/en/methods/flash-method/ (accessed Feb 20, 2021).
9. Taylor, R. E.; Gembarovic, J.; Maglic, K. D. Thermal Diffusivity by the Laser Flash
Technique. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/0471266965.com102
(accessed Feb 20, 2021).

10. Zajas, J.; Heiselberg, P. Determination of the Local Thermal Conductivity of Functionally
Graded Materials by a Laser Flash Method. International Journal of Heat and Mass
Transfer 2013, 60, 542–548.