Introduction.- Mechanism of Contact Heat Transfer.- Significance of Contact Heat Transfer.- Scope of Present work.- Thermal Constriction Resistance.- Circular Disc in Half Space.- Resistance of a Constriction Bounded by a Semi-Infinite Cylinder.- Constriction in a Gaseous Environment.- Other Types of Constrictions.- Solid Spot Conductance of a Joint.- Multiple Spot Contact Conductance.- Estimation of the Number and Average Size of Contact Spots.- Gaussian Distribution of Surface Heights and Slopes.- Deformation Analysis.- The Plasticity Index.- Ratio of Real to Apparent Area of Contact.- Theoretical Expressions for Thermal Contact Conductance.- Solid Spot Conductance for Fully Plastic Deformation.- Solid Spot Conductance for Elastic Deformation.- Effect of Macroscopic Irregularities.- Correlations for Solid Spot Conductance.- Numerical Example: Solid Spot Thermal Conductance.- A Generalised Approach to Determine Solid Spot Conductance.- Gas Gap Conductance.- Factors Affecting Gas Gap Conductance.- The Thermal Accommodation Coefficient.- Effect of Temperature on Accommodation Coefficient.- Summary of Observations.- Effect of Gas Pressure on Gas Gap Conductance.- Correlations for Gas Gap Conductance.- Periodic and Transient Contacts.- Experimental Aspects.- Axial Heat Flow Apparatus.- Radial Heat Flow Apparatus.- Periodic Contacts.- Transient Measurements.- Discussion of Transient Vs Steady-State Measurements.- Analogue Methods.- Experimental Accuracy.- Summary.- Control of Thermal Contact Conductance Using Interstitial Materials.- Solid Interstitial Materials.- Metallic Films.- Wire Screens.- Surface Coatings.- Constriction Resistance of a Plated Contact.- Effective Hardness of Coated Surfaces.- Thermal Contact Conductance of Coated Surfaces.- Insulating Interstitial Materials.- Lubricating Films and Greases.- Carbon Based Interstitial Materials.- Special Topics.

The work covers both theoretical and practical aspects of thermal contact conductance. The theoretical discussion focuses on heat transfer through spots, joints, and surfaces, as well as the role of interstitial materials (both planned and inadvertent). The practical discussion includes formulae and data that can be used in designing heat-transfer equipment for a variety of joints, including special geometries and configurations. All of the material has been updated to reflect the latest advances in the field.

Professor Madhusudana is currently working out of Sudney, Australia