Heat Changes with IR Cameras

Introduction:
There are many factors that can affect the transfer of heat through objects. In this lab, 4 different frozen model airplanes were tested with 4 different conditions in boiling water to see how heat would be transferred and how it would show up on an IR camera.

Method:
The first plane was placed into the boiling water at room temperature with air in the bag. The next plane was frozen and had a bag full of air. The third plane was frozen but the air was stripped of all air and placed into the boiling water. The last plane was frozen as well but it was placed into a wool sock inside the plastic bag and put into the boiling water. (Figures. 1-4) The planes were then monitored with an IR camera to watch the heat and an RBG camera. In intervals, the temperature was checked to see the difference and how well each condition was insulated.

(Figure.1 Frozen plane with air in the bag)

(Figure.2 Frozen Plane with no air in the bag)

(Figure.3 Room Temp Plane with air in the bag)

(Figure.4 Frozen Plane in a wool sock)

Discussion:
As the planes were exposed to the heat for a period of time, the IR camera was able to show how the temperatures were changing in the planes. The frozen plane inside of the wool sock heated up the slowest compared to the other planes. The second slowest plane was actually the frozen plane with a bag full of air. As more time passed the room temperature plane stayed colder longer than the frozen plane without air in the bag. From this, a conclusion can be made that the presence of air caused the planes to heat up slower than if the air was not present. (Figure. 5) The wool worked very well as an insulator and kept the plane cold for a long time. As seen in Figure.6, the fourth plane was taken out of the wool sock after a period of time and placed back into the water. The wingtips, tail, and front the model aircraft was still dark meaning there was a lack of heat.

(Figure.5 All 4 planes temperatures after a period of time)

(Figure.6 All 4 planes after #4 was taken out of the wool sock)

Conclusion:

From this experiment, the conclusion can be made that air is a good insulator and increases the time an object takes to heat up. Compared to the plane with no air in its bag, the other planes were colder for a longer period of time even the plane that was not frozen and was sitting at room temperature. The wool sock seemed to be the best insulator and kept most of the plane frozen for a long time.