Inverse estimation of the front surface temperature of a 3-D finite slab based on the back surface temperature measured at coarse grids

The accuracy of the solution of the inverse heat conduction problem (IHCP) can be improved by using fine grids, but measured temperature data on fine grids are usually not available due to limits imposed by the size and spacing of the temperature sensors. A new method is proposed to recover the front surface temperature of a finite slab using fine grids based on the back surface temperature measured with coarse grids. Effects of heat conduction in the sensor substrate and contact thermal rsesistance are also taken into account. The proposed method is applied to solve a three-dimensional IHCP with stainless steel and aluminum target slabs. The results show that the front surface temperature can be recovered with satisfactory accuracy. Both the distortion of the temperature distribution and the discrepancy from the exact solutions are reduced by using the new method.