Thermal conductivity is a material property that is used to describe the temporal change in the spatial distribution of temperature due to heat conduction as a result of a temperature gradient. It describes the behavior of the temperature at a point inside the material with a temperature change at the surface. It is calculated from the ratio of the thermal conductivity λ to the material bulk density ρ and the specific heat capacity c.
Thermal conductivity is the decisive factor for the so-called phase shift and thus an important parameter for determining the properties with regard to summer thermal insulation. The lower the thermal conductivity, the greater the phase shift and the better the thermal insulation in summer.
Definition: a = λ / (ρ · c)
Unit: m²/s (square metre/second)
Source: bauwion
