ABSTRACT
Conduction heat-transfer phenomena are found virtually throughout the physical world and the industrial domain. The analytical description of this heat-transfer mode is one of the best understood processes. Some of the bases of the understanding of conduction date back to early history. It was recognized that by invoking certain relatively minor simplifications, mathematical solutions resulted directly. Some of these were easily formulated. What transpired over the years was a vigorous development of applications to a broad range of processes. Perhaps no single work better summarizes the wealth of these studies than does the book by Carslaw and Jaeger (1959). It provides solutions to a broad range of problems, ranging from topics related to the cooling of the earth to the current-carrying capacities of wires. The general analyses given there have been applied to a range of modern-day problems from laser heating to temperature control systems.
