Heat-Transfer Mechanisms in Loudspeakers: Analysis, Measurement, and Design

Voice-coil heating is a major cause of loudspeaker damage and failute, and thus a major limitation on the power-handling capacity. Heating increases with electric input and with overall thermal resistance, or termperature rise per unit input power. The overall thermal resistance depends on several heat-transfer mechanisms, including conduction, radiation, natural convection, forced convection, and heat storage. An analysis, which includes transient behavior, describes all contributing factors and provides an equation for voice-coil temperature as a function of electric input and loudspeaker parameters. Data and methods are discussed in support of the analysis, and various designs are including several patented inventions.: