A Generalized Analytical Model for Joule Heating of Segmented Wires

Abstract

This paper presents an analytical solution for the Joule heating problem of a segmented wire made of two materials with different properties and suspended as a bridge across two fixed ends. The paper first establishes the one-dimensional (1D) governing equations of the steady-state temperature distribution along the wire with the consideration of heat conduction and free-heat convection phenomena. The temperature coefficient of resistance of the constructing materials and the dimension of the each segmented wires were also taken into account to obtain analytical solution of the temperature. COMSOL numerical solutions were also obtained for initial validation. Experimental studies were carried out using copper and nichrome wires, where the temperature distribution was monitored using an IR thermal camera. The data showed a good agreement between experimental data and the analytical data, validating our model for the design and development of thermal sensors based on multisegmented structures.