Re: stainless conductivities

[brian whatcott <inet@INTELLISYS.NET>]

At 02:23 6/10/99 -0400, you wrote:
> ...
> Why does stainless steel, being a metal, have a relatively good
> electrical conductivity, but relatively poor thermal conductivity?
>
> In most all other metals, there is a direct connection between the
> two; this connection appears to be weak for stainless steel...
> Stefan Jeglinski

Wiedemann & Franz found a reasonable proportionality  between thermal and
electrical conductivities for metals at the same temperature.

 Lorenz showed the ratio of these two parameters is nearly proportional to
absolute temperature but it fails at low temperatures, and for pure metals
and alloys of low conductivity of which manganin serves as another example.

It is supposed that thermal conduction can be carried both by electron
motion like electrical conduction, but also by 'particle agitation'
(Physics, Starling & Woodall, Longmans.)

It would be some defect of this second mechanism that we would blame
for anomolously low thermal conductivity.
brian whatcott <inet@intellisys.net>
Altus OK