Inverse method of computing coefficient of thermal expansion using interferometer data

This paper discusses a method of calculating the coefficient of thermal exp ansion while the specimen undergoes a temperature change. An inverse techni que is used to solve for the coefficient of thermal expansion from the expe rimental data. The computational steps are similar to typical inverse techn iques as applied to thermal conduction problems. A custom-designed Michelso n interferometer is used to gather the experimental data. The experimental setup permits heating or cooling of the sample during testing. It is also n ecessary to predict the temperature distribution throughout this specimen. The computation of temperature distribution is also carried out by a simple inverse technique.