Originally Posted by
tom12.7
Thermal capacity, as in how many BTU's of applied heat to be stored by the barrel before a temperature limit is reached after a resonance time for the base material is considered. Heat transfers from the barrel to the air (ideally). The higher the delta between the air temp and barrel temp, the higher the rate of transfer. The higher the surface area, the higher air can be potentially in contact to transfer that heat. Part of the key is that air needs to flow, we need air exchanges to allow cooler air come in and absorb heat. Fluted barrels act in many ways similar to an air cooled motor without a cooling fan. If you measure the temperature in some different locations, you might get surprised.