Aluminum Differential Cover Thermal Results
I recently installed a finned aluminum differential cover from PML Covers on my 2012 Chevrolet Avalanche 1500 that I intend to use for towing a travel trailer. In my previous truck, I had to replace ...
Forum Discussion
fj12ryder wrote:
Yeah, painting the cover was a bad idea, why use something to help dissipate heat and then use paint to help insulate it?
Actually, painting the surface black improved the thermal performance.
The layer of paint has negligible insulating properties, however the black coating greatly improves the thermal radiation away from the aluminum. This was proven in 1804 using a Leslie cube filled with hot water. The 4 sides of the cube were painted with different coatings, including copper and aluminum, but the black side radiated the most heat. The experiment is often repeated in grade-school science classes using different materials with similar results.
