Significance of Errors in High Temperature Measurement

This paper discusses the magnitude and sources of errors in high temperature measurements by thermocouples, and the relationship of these errors to final spacecraft design. The range of measurement errors can be greatly reduced by considerations of thermocouple placement, ratios of specimen material and thermocouple conductivity, specific heat, wire diameter, and welding and cementing techniques. Based on results of steady state and transient experiments, the effects of temperature measurement errors on design weight at the. 1600 F range show that structural weight would be increased by 16%, owing to a 50 F measurement error.