The Role of National Measurement Institutes in Subsecond Current-Heating Methods

Abstract

The historical role of three national measurement institutes (NMIs), namely, the NBS-NIST (USA), the IMGC (Italy), and the NRLM-NMIJ (Japan), in the development of different pulse-heating methods is reviewed. In relation to their institutional interests, the indicated NMIs were mainly interested in the development and application of new measurement techniques, in the accurate measurement of thermophysical properties at high temperatures, and in the characterization of possible reference materials. An informal intercomparison of published experimental results obtained via pulse-heating techniques over 30 years on the electrical resistivity and heat capacity of niobium, molybdenum, and tungsten is presented, comparing these results with recommended curves from the literature. Good agreement is found among the pulse-heating results from the indicated NMIs, always within the combined uncertainties.