An alternative technique for the interpretation of temperature measurements using thermo-chromic liquid crystals

A new technique for the interpretation of temperature measurements carried out using the thermo-chromic liquid crystals is presented together with a new calibration method. The present method uses each one of the three components - red, green, and blue - for color description and allows measurements in a larger temperature range than the standard calibration methods, which are based on the reduction of the color components to a single quantity representing hue. The measurement procedure also includes the correction for illumination changes during each experiment. The measurements quality is checked on the well-known case of heat transfer measurements from an impinging jet. Finally, the different properties of liquid crystals are discussed. (authors)