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CONDUCTION

1. A copper rod 2 m long has a circular cross-section of radius 1/ cm. One end is kept at 100°C
and the other at 0°C. The surface is insulated so that negligible heat is lost through the surface.
Thermal conductivity of copper is 400 W/m-K. In steady state, find
(a) the thermal resistance of the bar (b) the thermal current H
(c) the temperature gradient dT/dx (d) the temperature at a distance 25 cm from the hot end.
Ans. (a) 50 K/W (b) 2W (c) 50 ºC (d) 87.5ºC

2. A uniform slab of dimension 10cm × 10cm × 1cm is kept between two heat reservoirs at
temperatures 10ºC and 90ºC. The larger surface areas touch the reservoirs. The thermal
conductivity of the material is 0.80 W/m–ºC. Find the amount of heat flowing through the slab
per second.
Ans. 64 J

3. A semicircular rod is joined at its ends to a straight rod of the same material and same cross-
sectional area. The straight rod forms a diameter of the other rod. The junctions are maintained
at different temperatures. Find the ratio of the heat transferred through a cross-section of the
semicircular rod to the heat transferred through a cross-section of the straight rod in a given
time.
Ans. 2:

4. One end of a steel rod (K = 42 J/m–s–ºC) of length 1.0 m is kept in ice at 0ºC and the other end
is kept in boiling water at 100ºC. The area of cross–section of the rod is 0.04 cm2. Assuming
no heat loss to the atmosphere, find the mass of the ice melting per second. Latent heat of
fusion of ice = 3.36 × 105 J/kg.
Ans. 5 × 10–5 g/s

5. A thin walled metal tank of surface area 5m2 is filled with water tank and contains an
immersion heater dissipating 1 kW. The tank is covered with 4 cm thick layer of insulation
whose thermal conductivity is 0.2 W/m/K. The outer face of the insulation is 25oC. Find the
temperature of the tank in the steady state
Ans. 65oC

6. Figure shows a copper rod joined to a

steel rod. The rods have equal length and
equal cross- sectional area. The free end
of the copper rod is kept at 0°C and that of the steel rod is kept at 100°C. Find the temperature
at the junction of the rods. Conductivity of copper = 315 W/m-°C and that of steel = 45 W/m-
°C.
Ans. 12.5°C

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7. Figure shows a steel rod joined to a brass rod.

Each of the rods has length of 31 cm and area of
cross-section 0.20 cm2. The junction is
maintained at a constant temperature 50°C and the two ends are maintained at 100°C. Calculate
the amount of heat taken out from the cold junction in 10 minutes after the steady state is
reached. The thermal conductivities are Ksteel = 46 W/m–°C and Kbrass = 109 W/m–°C.
Ans. 300 J

8. Two rods shown in figure have identical geometrical

dimensions. They are in contact with two heat bath at 100ºC 0ºC
temperature 100ºC and 0ºC. The temperature of the junction
is 70ºC. Find the temperature of the junction if the rods are interchanged.

Ans. 30°C

9. Three rods each of same length and cross-section are joined in series. The thermal conductivity
of the materials are K, 2K and 3K respectively. If one end is kept at 200°C and the other at
100°C. What would be the temperature of the junctions in the steady state? Assume that no
heat is lost due to radiation from the sides of the rods.
Ans. 145.5°C, 118.2°C

10. The figure shows the face and interface temperature of a composite slab containing of four
layers of two materials having identical thickness. Under steady state condition, find the value
of temperature 

Ans. 5°C

11. Two metal cubes with 3 cm-edges of copper and aluminium are
arranged as shown in figure. Find
(a) the total thermal current from one reservoir to the other
(b) the ratio of the thermal current carried by the copper cube to
that carried by the aluminium cube. Thermal conductivity of
copper is 401 W/m-K and that of aluminium is 237 W/m-K.
Ans (a) 1.6 ×10 3W (b) 1.75

12. Three identical rods of length 1m each, having cross-section area 50ºC

of 1cm2 each and made of Aluminium, copper and steel

respectively are maintained at temperatures of 12ºC, 4ºC and 50ºC
el
e
st

respectively at their separate ends. Find the temperature of their 12ºC

Aluminium
common junction.
co
pp

[ KCu = 400 W/m-K , KAl = 200 W/m-K , Ksteel = 50 W/m-K ]

er

4ºC

Ans. 10°C

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13. Three conducting rods of same material and cross-section are shown in
figure. Temperature of A, D and C is maintained at 20°C, 90°C and 0°C.
Find the ratio of length BD and BC if there is no heat flow in AB

Ans. 7/2

14. In the square frame of side l of metallic rods, the corners A and C are
maintained at T1 and T2 respectively. The rate of heat flow from A to C is
. If A and D are instead maintained T1 & T2 respectively find, find the
total rate of heat flow.

Ans. (4/3)  



15. Consider the situation shown in figure. The frame is

made of the same material and has a uniform cross-
sectional area everywhere. If amount of heat
flowing per second through a cross-section of the bent part is 60 J. Calculate the amount of
total heat taken out per second from the end at 50°C.
Ans. 132 J

16. Two metal rods of same length and areas A1 and A2 are arranged in parallel. If the thermal
conductivities of the materials are k1 and k2, find the effective thermal conductivity of the
combination.
k1A1  k 2 A 2
Ans
A1  A 2

17. Three slabs of same surface area but different conductivities k1, k2, k3 and different
thickness t1 , t2, t3 are placed in series. After steady state this combination behaves
as a single slab. Find its effective thermal conductivity.
t1  t 2  t 3
Ans.
t1 t 2 t 3
 
k1 k 2 k 3

18. A cylinder of radius R made of a material of thermal conductivity K1 is surrounded by a

cylindrical shell of inner radius R and outer radius 2R made of a material of thermal
conductivity K2. The two ends of the combined system are maintained at two different
temperatures. There is no loss of heat across the cylindrical surface and the system is in steady
state. Find the effective thermal conductivity of the system.
K1  3K 2
Ans.
4

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FOR IIT ONLY

19. A lagged stick of cross section area 1 cm2 and length
1 m is initially at a temperature of 0°C. It is then
kept between 2 reservoirs of temperature 100°C and
0°C. Specific heat capacity is 10 J/kg°C and linear mass density is 2 kg/m. Find
(a) temperature gradient along the rod in steady state.
(b) total heat absorbed by the rod to reach steady state.
Ans. (a) –100 °C/m, (b) 1000 J

20. One end of copper rod of uniform cross-section and of length 1.45 m is in contact with ice at
0ºC and the other end with water at 100°C. Find the position of point along its length where a
temperature of 200°C should be maintained so that in steady state the mass of ice melting is
equal to that of steam produced in the same interval of time [Assume that the whole system is
insulated from surroundings]. (Take Lv = 540 cal/g Lf = 80 cal/g)
Ans. 10 cm from the end in contact with water at 100°C
21. The figure shows the cross-section of the outer
wall of a house built in a hill-resort to keep the T T 1 T 2T 3 T 4 5

house insulated from the freezing temperature of

outside. The wall consists of teak wood of
thickness L1 and brick of thickness (L4 = 5L1),
sandwiching two layers of an unknown material
with identical thermal conductivities and
thickness. The thermal conductivity of teak wood
is K1 and that of brick is (K2 = 5K). Heat
conduction through the wall has reached a steady
state with the temperature of three surfaces being L L 1L L 4

known. (T1 = 25ºC, T2 = 20ºC and T5 = –20ºC).

Find the interface temperature T4 and T3.
Ans. T3 = 2.5ºC, T4 = –15ºC
22. In above question, K1 = 0.125 W/m–ºC, K2 = 5K1 = 0.625 W/m–ºC and thermal conductivity
of the unknown material is K = 0.25 W/mºC. L1 = 4cm, L4 = 5L1 = 20cm. If the house
consists of a single room of total wall area of 100 m2, then find the power of the electric heater
being used in the room.
Ans. 1.56 KW
23. Three copper rods and three steel rods each of length l = 10 cm and area of cross-section 1 cm2
are connected as shown
C
steel copper

steel
copper
E (0ºC)
A B
(125ºC) copper
steel

D
If ends A and E are maintained at temperatures 125ºC and 0ºC respectively, calculate the
amount of heat flowing per second from the hot to cold function. [ KCu = 400 W/m-K , Ksteel
= 50 W/m-K ]
Ans. 4W

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24. Four thin identical rods AB, AC, BD and EF made of the same material are
joined as shown. The free-ends C, D and F are maintained at temperatures T1 ,
T2 and T3 respectively. Assuming that there is no loss of heat to the
surroundings, find the temperature at joint E when the steady state is attained.
1
Ans. (2T 1 + 2T 2 + 3T 3 )
7
25. A hollow metallic sphere of radius 20 cm surrounds a concentric metallic sphere of radius 5
cm. The space between the two spheres is filled with a non-metallic material. The inner and
outer spheres are maintained at 50°C and 10°C respectively and it is found that 160  Joule of
heat passes from the inner sphere to the outer sphere per second. Find the thermal conductivity
of the material between the spheres.
Ans. 15 W/m–°C

26. Two thin concentric shells made of copper with radius r1 and r2 (r2 > r1 ) have a material of
thermal conductivity K filled between them. The inner and outer spheres are maintained at
temperatures T H and TC respectively by keeping a heater of power P at the centre of the two
spheres. Find the value of P.
4K(TH  TC ) r1 r2
Ans.
(r2  r1 )
27. A hollow tube has a length l, inner radius R1 and outer radius R2. The material has thermal
conductivity K. Find the heat flowing through the walls of the tube per second if the inside of
the tube is maintained at temperature T1 and the outside is maintained at T2 [assume T2 > T1]
2K(T2  T1 )
Ans.
In (R 2 / R1 )
28. Find the rate of heat flow through a cross-section of the
rod shown in figure (T H > TC). Thermal conductivity of
the material of the rod is K.
KR 1 R 2 (TH  TC )
Ans.
L
29. A metal rod of cross-sectional area 1.0 cm2 is being heated at one end. At one time, the
temperature gradient is 5.0°C/cm at cross-section A and is 2.6 °C/cm at cross-section B.
Calculate the rate at which the temperature is increasing in the part AB of the rod. The heat
capacity of the part AB = 0.40 J/°C, thermal conductivity of the material of the rod = 200
W/m–°C. Neglect any loss of heat to the atmosphere.
Ans. 12 °C/s
30. A highly conducting solid cylinder of radius a and length l is surrounded by a co-axial layer of
a material having thermal conductivity K and negligible heat capacity. Temperature of
surrounding space (outside the layer) is T0, which is higher than temperature of the cylinder. If
heat capacity per unit volume of cylinder material is s and outer radius of the layer is b,
calculate time required to increase temperature of the cylinder from T1 to T 2. Assume end faces
to be thermally insulated.
a 2s b  T T 
Ans. log e   log e  0 1 
2K a  T0  T2 

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31. A vertical brick duct (tube) is filled with cast iron. The lower end of the duct is maintained at a
temperature T1 which is greater than the melting point Tm of cast iron and the upper end at a
temperature T2 which is less than the temperature of the melting point of cast iron. It is given
that the conductivity of liquid cast iron is equal to k times the conductivity of solid cast iron.
Determine the fraction of the duct filled with molten metal.
l1 k(T1  Tm )
Ans. 
l k(T1  Tm )  (Tm  T2 )

32. A cylindrical block of length 0.4 m an area of cross-section 0.04m2 is placed coaxially on a thin
metal disc of mass 0.4 kg and of the same cross-section. The upper face of the cylinder is
maintained at a constant temperature of 400K and the initial temperature of the disc is 300K. If
the thermal conductivity of the material of the cylinder is 10 watt/m-K and the specific heat of
the material of the disc in 600 J/kg-K, how long will it take for the temperature of the disc to
increase to 350K? Assume, for purposes of calculation, the thermal conductivity of the disc to
be very high and the system to be thermally insulated except for the upper face of the cylinder.
Ans. 166.3 sec

JRS TUTORIALS, Durgakund, Varanasi – 221 005 (U.P.) Ph. No. (0542) 2311922, 2311777