• Composites Research
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• v.20 no.5
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• pp.20-25
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• 2007

Cyclic heating method is useful method for measuring the thermal diffusivity of porous materials. The main object of this paper is to develop and verify the thermal diffusivity measuring system of porous materials under vacuum condition. To verify this method, thermal diffusivities of the alumina ($Al_2O_3$) specimen and polystyrene foam were measured. Thermal diffusivities of these specimens were agreed with reference values. Thermal diffusivities of carbon/epoxy and porous insulation material were measured at atmospheric room temperature condition and vacuum condition respectively. Thermal diffusivities of carbon/epoxy and porous insulation material under vacuum are reduced by 66.4% and 64.9% compared to the thermal diffusivities under the atmospheric condition. These differences are considered the effect of the porous insulation material with an air.