Multi-scale Modeling and Finite Element Analyses of Thermal Conductivity of 3D C/SiC Composites Fabricating by Flexible-Oriented Woven Process

Thermal conductivity is one of the most significant criterion of three-dimensional carbon fiber-reinforced SiC matrix composites(3D C/SiC).Represent volume element(RVE)models of microscale,void/matrix and mesoscale proposed in this work are used to simulate the thermal conductivity behaviors of the 3D C/SiC composites.An entirely new process is introduced to weave the preform with three-dimensional orthogonal architecture.The 3D steady-state analysis step is created for assessing the thermal conductivity behaviors of the composites by applying periodic temperature boundary conditions.Three RVE models of cuboid,hexagonal and fiber random distribution are respectively developed to comparatively study the influence of fiber package pattern on the thermal conductivities at the microscale.Besides,the effect of void morphology on the thermal conductivity of the matrix is analyzed by the void/matrix models.The prediction results at the mesoscale correspond closely to the experimental values.The effect of the porosities and fiber volume fractions on the thermal conductivities is also taken into consideration.The multi-scale models mentioned in this paper can be used to predict the thermal conductivity behaviors of other composites with complex structures.

Theoretical study on the effective thermal conductivity of silica aerogels based on a cross-aligned and cubic pore model

Aerogel nanoporous materials possess high porosity, high specific surface area, and extremely low density due to their unique nanoscale network structure. Moreover, their effective thermal conductivity is very low, making them a new type of lightweight and highly efficient nanoscale super-insulating material. However, prediction of their effective thermal conductivity is challenging due to their uneven pore size distribution. To investigate the internal heat transfer mechanism of aerogel nanoporous materials, this study constructed a cross-aligned and cubic pore model(CACPM) based on the actual pore arrangement of SiO_(2) aerogel. Based on the established CACPM, the effective thermal conductivity expression for the aerogel was derived by simultaneously considering gas-phase heat conduction, solid-phase heat conduction, and radiative heat transfer. The derived expression was then compared with available experimental data and the Wei structure model. The results indicate that, according to the model established in this study for the derived thermal conductivity formula of silica aerogel, for powdery silica aerogel under the conditions of T = 298 K, a_(2)= 0.85, D_(1)= 90 μm, ρ = 128 kg/m^(3), within the pressure range of 0–10^(5)Pa, the average deviation between the calculated values and experimental values is 10.51%. In the pressure range of 10^(3)–10^(4)Pa, the deviation between calculated values and experimental values is within 4%. Under these conditions, the model has certain reference value in engineering verification. This study also makes a certain contribution to the research of aerogel thermal conductivity heat transfer models and calculation formulae.

A Prediction Model of Effective Thermal Conductivity for Metal Powder Bed in Additive Manufacturing

In current research,many researchers propose analytical expressions for calculating the packing structure of spherical particles such as DN Model,Compact Model and NLS criterion et al.However,there is still a question that has not been well explained yet.That is:What is the core factors affecting the thermal conductivity of particles?In this paper,based on the coupled discrete element-finite difference(DE-FD)method and spherical aluminum powder,the relationship between the parameters and the thermal conductivity of the powder(ETC_(p))is studied.It is found that the key factor that can described the change trend of ETC_(p) more accurately is not the materials of the powder but the average contact area between particles(a_(ave))which also have a close nonlinear relationship with the average particle size d_(50).Based on this results,the expression for calculating the ETC_(p) of the sphere metal powder is successfully reduced to only one main parameter d_(50)and an efficient calculation model is proposed which can applicate both in room and high temperature and the corresponding error is less than 20.9%in room temperature.Therefore,in this study,based on the core factors analyzation,a fast calculation model of ETC_(p) is proposed,which has a certain guiding significance in the field of thermal field simulation.

Selective interfacial bonding and thermal conductivity of diamond/Cu-alloy composites prepared by HPHT technique

Cu-based and Cu-alloy-based diamond composites were made by high-pressure-high-temperature （HPHT） sintering with the aim of maximizing the thermal conductivity of the composites. Improvements in interfacial bonding strength and thermo-physical properties of the composites were achieved using an atomized copper alloy with minor additions of Co, Cr, 13, and Ti. The thermal conductivity （TC） oh- mined exhibited as high as 688 W.m-1.K-1, but also as low as 325 W.m-1.K-l. A large variation in TC can be rationalized by the discrepancy of diamond-matrix interfacial bonding. It was found from fractography that preferential bonding between diamond and the Cu-alloy matrix occurred only on the diamond {100} faces. EDS analysis and Raman spectra suggested that selective interfacial bonding may be attributed to amorphous carbon increasing the wettability between diamond and the Cu-alloy matrix. Amorphous carbon was found to significantly affect the TC of the composite by interface modification.

Controllable rectification on the thermal conductivity of porous YBa_(2)Cu_(3)O_(7−x) superconductors from 3D-printing

Superconducting YBa_(2)Cu_(3)O_(7−x)(YBCO)bulks have promising applications in quasi-permanent magnets,levitation,etc.Recently,a new way of fabricating porous YBCO bulks,named direct-ink-writing(DIW)3D-printing method,has been reported.In this method,the customized precursor paste and programmable shape are two main advantages.Here,we have put forward a new way to customize the YBCO 3D-printing precursor paste which is doped with Al_(2)O_(3)nanoparticles to obtain YBCO with higher thermal conductivity.The great rheological properties of precursor paste after being doped with Al_(2)O_(3)nanoparticles can help the macroscopic YBCO samples with high thermal conductivity fabricated stably with high crystalline and lightweight properties.Test results show that the peak thermal conductivity of Al_(2)O_(3)-doped YBCO can reach twice as much as pure YBCO,which makes a great effort to reduce the quench propagation speed.Based on the microstructure analysis,one can find that the thermal conductivity of Al_(2)O_(3)-doped YBCO has been determined by its components and microstructures.In addition,a macroscopic theoretical model has been proposed to assess the thermal conductivity of different microstructures,whose calculated results take good agreement with the experimental results.Meanwhile,a microstructure with high thermal conductivity has been found.Finally,a macroscopic YBCO bulk with the presented high thermal conductivity microstructure has been fabricated by the Al_(2)O_(3)-doped method.Compared with YBCO fabricated by the traditional 3D-printed,the Al_(2)O_(3)-doped structural YBCO bulks present excellent heat transfer performances.Our customized design of 3D-printing precursor pastes and novel concept of structural design for enhancing the thermal conductivity of YBCO superconducting material can be widely used in other DIW 3D-printing materials.

Breaking Through Bottlenecks for Thermally Conductive Polymer Composites:A Perspective for Intrinsic Thermal Conductivity,Interfacial Thermal Resistance and Theoretics

Rapid development of energy,electrical and electronic technologies has put forward higher requirements for the thermal conductivities of polymers and their composites.However,the thermal conductivity coefficient(λ)values of prepared thermally conductive polymer composites are still difficult to achieve expectations,which has become the bottleneck in the fields of thermally conductive polymer composites.Aimed at that,based on the accumulation of the previous research works by related researchers and our research group,this paper proposes three possible directions for breaking through the bottlenecks:(1)preparing and synthesizing intrinsically thermally conductive polymers,(2)reducing the interfacial thermal resistance in thermally conductive polymer composites,and(3)establishing suitable thermal conduction models and studying inner thermal conduction mechanism to guide experimental optimization.Also,the future development trends of the three above-mentioned directions are foreseen,hoping to provide certain basis and guidance for the preparation,researches and development of thermally conductive polymers and their composites.

Fractal Prediction Model of Thermal Contact Conductance of Rough Surfaces

The thermal contact conductance problem is an important issue in studying the heat transfer of engineering surfaces, which has been widely studied since last few decades, and for predicting which many theoretical models have been established. However, the models which have been existed are lack of objectivity due to that they are mostly studied based on the statistical methodology characterization for rough surfaces and simple partition for the deformation formats of contact asperity. In this paper, a fractal prediction model is developed for the thermal contact conductance between two rough surfaces based on the rough surface being described by three-dimensional Weierstrass and Mandelbrot fractal function and assuming that there are three kinds of asperity deformation modes： elastic, elastoplastic and fully plastic. Influences of contact load and contact area as well as fractal parameters and material properties on the thermal contact conductance are investigated by using the presented model. The investigation results show that the thermal contact conductance increases with the increasing of the contact load and contact area. The larger the fractal dimension, or the smaller the fractal roughness, the larger the thermal contact conductance is. The thermal contact conductance increases with decreasing the ratio of Young＇s elastic modulus to the microhardness. The results obtained indicate that the proposed model can effectively predict the thermal contact conductance at the interface, which provide certain reference to the further study on the issue of heat transfer between contact surfaces.

Thermal conductivity model of filled polymer composites

Theoretical and empirical models for predicting the thermal conductivity of polymer composites were summarized since the 1920s.The effects of particle shape,filler amount,dispersion state of fillers,and interfacial thermal barrier on the thermal conductivity of filled polymer composites were investigated,and the agreement of experimental data with theoretical models in literatures was discussed.Silica with high thermal conductivity was chosen to mix with polyvinyl-acetate （EVA） copolymer to prepare SiO2/EVA co-films.Experimental data of the co-films＇ thermal conductivity were compared with some classical theoretical and empirical models.The results show that Agari＇s model,the mixed model,and the percolation model can predict well the thermal conductivity of SiO2/EVA co-films.

INTERACTION MODELS FOR EFFECTIVE THERMAL AND ELECTRIC CONDUCTIVITIES OF CARBON NANOTUBE COMPOSITES

The present article provides supplementary information of previous works of analytic models for predicting conductivity enhancements of carbon nanotube composites. The models, though fairly simple, are able to take account of the effects of conductivity anisotropy, nonstraightness, and aspect ratio of the CNT additives on the conductivity enhancement of the composite and to give predictions agreeing well with existing experimental data. The omitted detailed derivation of this model is demonstrated in the present article with a more systematical analysis, which may help with further development in this direction. Furthermore, the effects of various orientation distributions of CNTs are reported here for the first time. The information may be useful in design or fabrication technology of CNT composites for better or specified conductivities.

NONLINEAR J-E CHARACTERISTICS IN THE ELECTRIC-THERMAL EQUILIBRIUM STATE FOR HIGH DENSITY POLYETHYLENE CONDUCTIVE COMPOSITES

The nonlinear J-E characteristics under self-heating equilibrium for conductive composites based on high density polyethylene were studied. The results show that there are identical conduction mechanisms under self-heating equilibrium for the composites with various initial resistivities determined by filler content or ambient temperature. The nonlinear conduction behavior was involved in the limited microstructure transformations of the conducting network induced by electrical field applied and the corresponding self-heating effect. A reversible thermal fuse (RTF) model was suggested to interpret the physical origin of the nonlinear J-E characteristics.

Quantitative models for microstructure and thermal conductivity of vermicular graphite cast iron cylinder block based on cooling rate

The relationships of cooling rate with microstructure and thermal conductivity of vermicular graphite cast iron(VGI) cylinder block were studied, which are important for design and optimization of the casting process of VGI cylinder blocks. Cooling rates at different positions in the cylinder block were calculated based on the cooling curves recorded with a solidification simulation software. The metallographic structure and thermal conductivity were observed and measured using optical microscopy(OM), scanning electrical microscopy(SEM) and laser flash diffusivity apparatus, respectively. The effects of the cooling rate on the vermicularity, total and average areas of all graphite particles, and the pearlite fraction in the VGI cylinder block were investigated. It is found that the vermicularity changes in parabola trend with the increase of cooling rate. The total area of graphite particles and the cooling rate at eutectoid stage can be used to predict pearlite fraction well. Moreover, it is found that the thermal conductivity at room temperature is determined by the average area of graphite particles and pearlite fraction when the range of vermicularity is from 80% to 93%. Finally, the quantitative models are established to calculate the vermicularity, pearlite fraction, and thermal conductivity of the VGI cylinder block.

A prediction model for the effective thermal conductivity of nanofluids considering agglomeration and the radial distribution function of nanoparticles

Conventional heat transfer fluids usually have low thermal conductivity, limiting their efficiency in many applications. Many experiments have shown that adding nanosize solid particles to conventional fluids can greatly enhance their thermal conductivity. To explain this anomalous phenomenon, many theoretical investigations have been conducted in recent years. Some of this research has indicated that the particle agglomeration effect that commonly occurs in nanofluids should play an important role in such enhancement of the thermal conductivity, while some have shown that the enhancement of the effective thermal conductivity might be accounted for by the structure of nanofluids, which can be described using the radial distribution function of particles. However, theoretical predictions from these studies are not in very good agreement with experimental results. This paper proposes a prediction model for the effective thermal conductivity of nanofluids, considering both the agglomeration effect and the radial distribution function of nanoparticles. The resulting theoretical predictions for several sets of nanofluids are highly consistent with experimental data.

A composite sphere assemblage model for porous oolitic rocks:Application to thermal conductivity

The present work is devoted to the determination of linear effective thermal conductivity of porous rocks characterized by an assemblage of grains(oolites) coated by a matrix. Two distinct classes of pores, i.e.micropores or intra oolitic pores(oolite porosity) and mesopores or inter oolitic pores(inter oolite porosity), are taken into account. The overall porosity is supposed to be connected and decomposed into oolite porosity and matrix porosity. Within the framework of Hashin composite sphere assemblage(CSA)models, a two-step homogenization method is developed. At the first homogenization step, pores are assembled into two layers by using self-consistent scheme(SCS). At the second step, the two porous layers constituting the oolites and the matrix are assembled by using generalized self-consistent scheme(GSCS) and referred to as three-phase model. Numerical results are presented for data representative of a porous oolitic limestone. It is shown that the influence of porosity on the overall thermal conductivity of such materials may be significant.

Thermal conductivity modeling of water containing metal oxide nanoparticles

The nano particles have demonstrated great potential to improve the heat transfer characteristics of heat transfer fluids.Possible parameters responsible for this increase were studied. The heat transfer profile in the nanolayer region was combined with other parameters such as volume fraction, particle radius thermal conductivity of the fluid, particle and nanolayer, to formulate a thermal conductivity model. Results predicting the thermal conductivity of nanofluids using the model were compared with experimental results as well as studies by other researchers. The comparison of the results obtained for the Cu O/water and Ti O2/water nanofluids studied shows that the correlation proposed is in closest proximity in predicting the experimental results for the thermal conductivity of a nanofluid. Also, a parametric study was performed to understand how a number of factors affect the thermal conductivity of nanofluids using the developed correlation.

Modeling of thermal conductivity and density of alumina/silica in water hybrid nanocolloid by the application of Artificial Neural Networks

In this research work, the thermal conductivity and density of alumina/silica(Al_2O_3/SiO_2) in water hybrid nanofluids at different temperatures and volume concentrations have been modeled using the artificial neural networks(ANN). The nanocolloid involved in the study was synthesized by the two-step method and characterized by XRD, TEM, SEM–EDX and zeta potential analysis. The properties of the synthesized nanofluid were measured at various volume concentrations(0.05%, 0.1% and 0.2%) and temperatures(20 to 60 °C). Established on the observational data and ANN, the optimum neural structure was suggested for predicting the thermal conductivity and density of the hybrid nanofluid as a function of temperature and solid volume concentrations. The results indicate that a neural network with 2 hidden layers and 10 neurons have the lowest error and a highest fitting coefficient o thermal conductivity, whereas in the case of density, the structure with 1 hidden layer consisting of 4 neurons proved to be the optimal structure.

Ultra-low thermal conductivity of roughened silicon nanowires:Role of phonon-surface bond order imperfection scattering

The ultra-low thermal conductivity of roughened silicon nanowires(SiNWs)can not be explained by the classical phonon-surface scattering mechanism.Although there have been several efforts at developing theories of phonon-surface scattering to interpret it,but the underlying reason is still debatable.We consider that the bond order loss and correlative bond hardening on the surface of roughened SiNWs will deeply influence the thermal transport because of their ultra-high surface-to-volume ratio.By combining this mechanism with the phonon Boltzmann transport equation,we explicate that the suppression of high-frequency phonons results in the obvious reduction of thermal conductivity of roughened SiNWs.Moreover,we verify that the roughness amplitude has more remarkable influence on thermal conductivity of SiNWs than the roughness correlation length,and the surface-to-volume ratio is a nearly universal gauge for thermal conductivity of roughened SiNWs.

Thermally Conductive,Healable Glass Fiber Cloth Reinforced Polymer Composite based onβ-Hydroxyester Bonds Crosslinked Epoxy with Improved Heat Resistance

To simultaneously endow thermal conductivity,high glass transition temperature(Tg)and healing capability to glass fiber/epoxy(GFREP)composite,dynamic crosslinked epoxy resin bearing reversibleβ-hydroxyl ester bonds was reinforced with boron nitride nanosheets modified glass fiber cloth(GFC@BNNSs).The in-plane heat conduction paths were constructed by electrostatic self-assembly of polyacrylic acid treated GFC and polyethyleneimine decorated BNNSs.Then,the GFC@BNNSs were impregnated with the mixture of lower concentration(3-glycidyloxypropyl)trimethoxysilane grafted BN micron sheets,3,4-epoxycyclohexylmethyl 3,4-epoxycyclohexanecarboxylate and hexahydro-4-methylphthalic anhydride,which accounted for establishing the through-plane heat transport pathways and avoiding serious deterioration of mechanical performances.The resultant GFREP composite containing less boron nitride particles(17.6 wt%)exhibited superior in-plane(3.29 W·m^(-1)·K^(-1))and through-plane(1.16 W·m^(-1)·K^(-1))thermal conductivities,as well as high Tg of 204℃(Tg of the unfilled epoxy=177℃).The reversible transesterification reaction enabled closure of interlaminar cracks within the composite,achieving decent healing efficiencies estimated by means of tensile strength(71.2%),electrical breakdown strength(83.6%)and thermal conductivity(69.1%).The present work overcame the disadvantages of conventional thermally conductive composites,and provided an efficient approach to prolong the life span of thermally conductive GFREP laminate for high-temperature resistant integrated circuit application.

Preparation and thermal conductivity of tungsten coated diamond/copper composites

Tungsten was plated on the surface of diamond by using thermal diffusion method.Different process parameters were employed to prepare the composites with tungsten,diamond and copper.The micro morphology of different samples was observed,and the thermal conductivity of samples was measured by laser flash method.The optimal process parameters for preparing diamond/copper composites with high thermal conductivity were investigated.The results indicated that plating tungsten on diamond could modify the interface bonding.When the diamond was plated for 60 min,the coating appeared intact,uniform and flat,and the thermal conductivity of the sample could reach as high as 486 W/(m·K).The integrity and uniformity were more important than thickness for the coating.When the tungsten-plated diamond was further annealed,the metallurgical bonding between the coating and the diamond was enhanced,and the thermal conductivity rose to 559 W/(m·K).

Effects of surface charges on phonon properties and thermal conductivity in GaN nanofilms

Surface charges can modify the elastic modulus of nanostructure,leading to the change of the phonon and thermal properties in semiconductor nanostructure.In this work,the influence of surface charges on the phonon properties and phonon thermal conductivity of GaN nanofilm are quantitatively investigated.In the framework of continuum mechanics,the modified elastic modulus can be derived for the nanofilm with surface charges.The elastic model is presented to analyze the phonon properties such as the phonon dispersion relation,phonon group velocity,density of states of phonons in nanofilm with the surface charges.The phonon thermal conductivity of nanofilm can be obtained by considering surface charges.The simulation results demonstrate that surface charges can significantly change the phonon properties and thermal conductivity in a GaN nanofilm.Positive surface charges reduce the phonon energy and phonon group velocity but increase the density of states of phonons.The surface charges can change the size and temperature dependence of phonon thermal conductivity of GaN nanofilm.Based on these theoretical results,one can adjust the phonon properties and temperature/size dependent thermal conductivity in GaN nanofilm by changing the surface charges.

On the role of piezoelectricity in phonon properties and thermal conductivity of GaN nanofilms

The effect of piezoelectricity on phonon properties and thermal conductivity of gallium nitride （GaN） nanofilms is theoretically investigated. The elasticity model is utilized to derive the phonon properties in spatially confined GaN nanofilms. The piezoelectric constitutive relation in GaN nanofilms is taken into account in calculating the phonon dispersion relation. The modified phonon group velocity and phonon density of state as well as the phonon thermal conductivity are also obtained due to the contribution of piezoelectricity. Theoretical results show that the piezoelectricity in GaN nanofilms can change significantly the phonon properties such as the phonon group velocity and density of states, resulting in the variation of the phonon thermal conductivity of GaN nanofilms remarkably. Moreover, the piezoelectricity of GaN can modify the dependence of thermal conductivity on the geometrical size and temperature. These results can be useful in modeling the thermal performance in the active region of GaN-based electronic devices.