Thermal dynamics - Metals on Engine Components

AI Thread Summary
Different materials have varying specific heat capacities, which influence their ability to resist heat; however, shiny materials in engine compartments primarily reflect heat rather than relying on heat capacity. Insulation between the shiny material and the hood further enhances heat resistance. Thermal resistance, rather than heat capacity alone, is crucial for understanding how materials perform under heat exposure. The concept of thermal diffusivity, which combines density, heat capacity, and thermal conductivity, is also important, as materials with low thermal diffusivity effectively resist heat. Understanding these principles can guide the selection of materials for automotive applications to manage heat better.
ZCHondaCRX91
Messages
4
Reaction score
0
I have some car engine related questions, but basically just physics.

-Do different specific heat capacities have anything to do with how certain materials resist heat? I know that on some engine compartments there is gold wrapping because it resists heat best, but it has a low specific heat capacity. I know the higher the heat capacity the more energy is needed to increase the temperature.

-What are the best metals or materials that resist heat? For example in an engine compartment where the underhood temperature fairly warm, what materials for the intake components would resist heat best so the IAT won't increase too much?

-Are there plastics or rubbers that resist heat more than metals?

-Is that the correct way to say it, "resists heat?" If you have two containers filled with water, with the same mass and thickness, but different materials, and are placed in a oven for the same amount of time. Then when you measure the temperature in both containers and in one the water is a lower temperature than the other, would you say that material resists heat better?

I want to learn, but can't find any clear answers for these specific questions. Any help is very much appreciated. Thanks.
 
Science news on Phys.org
250 views, no answers? If you know of something I should read please let me know. Thanks.
 
ZCHondaCRX91 said:
250 views, no answers? If you know of something I should read please let me know. Thanks.

The parts of your car, such as under the hood, have a shiny material to reflect the heat and basically nothing to do with heat capacity. Between the shiny and hood is some insulation to further resist the heat as you say to keep the hood a little bit cooler.

A material has heat capacity and thermal resistance. You could say that insulation has a higher thermal resistance.

A container which has a higher thermal resistance will allow the temperature of the water in your oven example to rise less quickly than the other container, if you would plot temperature of the water versus time. Eventually though after a certain long enough period of time the water in both containers would be the same all other things considered equal.
 
256bits said:
The parts of your car, such as under the hood, have a shiny material to reflect the heat and basically nothing to do with heat capacity. Between the shiny and hood is some insulation to further resist the heat as you say to keep the hood a little bit cooler.

A material has heat capacity and thermal resistance. You could say that insulation has a higher thermal resistance.

A container which has a higher thermal resistance will allow the temperature of the water in your oven example to rise less quickly than the other container, if you would plot temperature of the water versus time. Eventually though after a certain long enough period of time the water in both containers would be the same all other things considered equal.

Thank you, that makes sense.
 
Have you heard of thermal diffusivity?

It's a dimensionless quantity (no units) which combines density, heat capacity, and thermal conductivity. I can't link yet, but the wikipedia page explains more.

A material with a low thermal diffusivity would "resist heat".
 
pa5tabear said:
Have you heard of thermal diffusivity?

It's a dimensionless quantity (no units) which combines density, heat capacity, and thermal conductivity. I can't link yet, but the wikipedia page explains more.

A material with a low thermal diffusivity would "resist heat".

No, didn't know that. Will do some reading on that. Thank you.
 
I need to calculate the amount of water condensed from a DX cooling coil per hour given the size of the expansion coil (the total condensing surface area), the incoming air temperature, the amount of air flow from the fan, the BTU capacity of the compressor and the incoming air humidity. There are lots of condenser calculators around but they all need the air flow and incoming and outgoing humidity and then give a total volume of condensed water but I need more than that. The size of the...
Thread 'Why work is PdV and not (P+dP)dV in an isothermal process?'
Let's say we have a cylinder of volume V1 with a frictionless movable piston and some gas trapped inside with pressure P1 and temperature T1. On top of the piston lay some small pebbles that add weight and essentially create the pressure P1. Also the system is inside a reservoir of water that keeps its temperature constant at T1. The system is in equilibrium at V1, P1, T1. Now let's say i put another very small pebble on top of the piston (0,00001kg) and after some seconds the system...
Back
Top